Torn
by Neurotica
Summary: AU. An escape from Azkaban has called for drastic measures to be taken. Five-year-old Harry Potter is taken from his relatives' home and relocated with two of his parents' remaining friends. No slash.
1. One

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize in the Harry Potter universe. It, sadly, still belongs to JK Rowling.**

**A/N:** If this story looks familiar to you, it's because I had it up a few years ago, then took it down due to my lacking the ability to concentrate on it. But due to the tenth person that has asked me what happened, I decided to give it another shot.

* * *

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_One_

In the very early hours of the morning, a man walked down the sidewalk of Privet Drive. He seemed to know exactly where he was going—his pace was steady as he passed the houses, hardly noticing the numbers on the mailboxes. If any of Privet Drive's residents would have been awake, they would have watched the man warily. He was dressed in plain clothing, his jeans full of holes and his shirt faded in color, and he seemed very ill on top of it. The first and only time he hesitated was when he passed Number Four. He stared at the dark, well-kept house for a few moments before sighing and continuing towards his destination. On Wisteria Walk, there was only one house that showed any signs of life. The porch lights were on, waiting for him, and he could hear the sitting room television through the windows. He walked up the front steps and found a tabby cat blocking the door.

The cat hissed at him as though telling him he was not welcome. He raised a tired, light brown eyebrow at the animal. "I was invited," he said in a hoarse voice. The cat glared at him for a few seconds before darting off the porch and into the bushes. Shaking his head and chuckling a little, the man raised a fist to knock on the door. As soon as he'd approached, the noise inside—what he'd assumed had been the television—was silenced. He saw a rustle of the window curtain and glanced over, briefly seeing the house's owner looking out at him. A few more seconds and the door locks were being undone.

"We wondered if you'd gotten lost," said the elderly woman in a stern tone. "We were about to send out a search party."

He smiled tiredly in greeting. "I lost track of time," he said apologetically, entering the home and following her to the sitting room.

Here, he found the source of the noise he'd heard on his arrival. They were people he hadn't seen together in the same location for nearly three years and he recalled their last meeting much more clearly than he wished to. Three people sat on the sofa: an elderly man with silver hair and a hat most people hated, a woman with long black hair and startlingly deep brown eyes, and a man whose face was scarred as a result of many years of war. Sitting beside them in an armchair was another elderly man with long white hair and a matching beard. Twinkling blue eyes shone behind his half-moon spectacles.

"Good evening, Remus," this last man said with a smile. "It is good to see you again."

Remus smiled back and sat in a chair the homeowner, Arabella Figg, had brought out for him. "And you, sir," he said quietly.

After a few moments of idle chitchat, Albus Dumbledore sat forward in his chair. "I am certain you are all wondering why I have asked you here so late," he said rather somberly. "Our last meeting, I am certain you will all agree, was bittersweet: the war had ended, but at a tragic cost." Remus quickly swallowed a lump of emotion. "You are all aware of who lives just down the street, and he is the reason I've asked you here."

Remus' brow furrowed, several questions coming to mind, but he held them back for the time being.

"Harry Potter is in danger," Dumbledore said simply. Remus vaguely thought that the Headmaster was the only person in the world who could have pulled that tone off with that particular sentence. "It has not yet been reported by the Ministry due to the fear of spreading panic with their lack of information, but there has been an escape from Azkaban Prison."

All of the color drained from Remus' body and was replaced by a cold feeling of dread.

"Who was it?" Emmeline Vance asked, a hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide in shock.

Dumbledore sighed, the former twinkle in his eyes gone. He looked directly at Remus as he responded, "Sirius Black."

Remus had been expecting this answer since Dumbledore mentioned an escape, but he still felt a wide range of emotions varying from sadness to fear to anger and hatred. He carefully hid every one behind the expressionless mask he'd mastered before entering Hogwarts.

"Though the reason for the escape or how it was managed is currently unknown," Dumbledore went on, "Minister Bagnold and I fear Black may be after young Harry."

"And what do you want us to do, Albus?" Mad-Eye Moody asked, seemingly unsurprised at hearing about Black's escape.

_He's probably known as long as Dumbledore has,_ Remus thought to himself.

"Harry will need to be kept safe at all costs," Dumbledore said. "He is to be taken from his relatives' home, far from Surrey, and kept under a disguise until the danger from Black passes."

Remus looked at his mentor. "I thought Harry was safest with the Dursleys?" he asked hoarsely. "He cannot be touched while within the protection of Lily's blood." The others made noises of agreement and looked to Dumbledore for the answer.

"Something has changed," the Headmaster said mysteriously, "and the blood protection Lily Potter provided to her son has been compromised."

"Compromised?" Elphias Doge repeated. "How?"

Dumbledore didn't reply for some time, choosing instead to look around at his old friends as he seemed to decide what was safest to tell them at the moment. "I apologize that I cannot reveal that information to you. You will know, but for the time being, I must keep it to myself for several reasons."

"What's your plan, Dumbledore?" Mad-Eye asked, not the least bit offended at Dumbledore's secretive nature.

"Emmeline and Remus will take Harry," the Headmaster said. Remus and Emmeline looked at each other in surprise. "They will act as Harry's parents, all three of them under glamour charms performed by myself. A home has already been setup for them in London, and stories have been concocted to keep their identities from being revealed. It must seem to both the Dursleys and Black that Harry is still residing on Privet Drive. To ensure this, I have asked Alastor to pose as Harry, both to keep up appearances and to protect the Dursley family. Enough Polyjuice Potion has been prepared until other arrangements can be made." Remus inwardly amused himself by picturing Mad-Eye as a four-year-old boy. "Elphias will remain in the area with Arabella as extra security, should Black arrive here," Dumbledore said.

"We will not meet with each other again, lest we risk the chance of ruining our plan. Each of you will be kept up to date with how the others are faring and you will be contacted once a week by myself in the normal way." He sighed, looking incredibly older than Remus knew him to be. "This is perhaps the most important mission we have ever executed and failing could mean the end of our world. Good luck, my friends. I hope to see you all again soon."

* * *

That afternoon, Remus and Mad-Eye kept themselves well hidden as they watched children on the playground. The one they were there for—a small, skinny four-year-old—was alone in the sandbox. Unfortunately, they couldn't risk taking him just yet; they couldn't risk being seen in the packed playground. Remus did his best to keep his mind empty of all thoughts as he watched his best friends' son. He'd seen pictures of James as a young child, but couldn't recall his friend ever looking so sad and pathetic. From what Arabella had said, Harry's life with the Dursleys had been less than perfect. She hadn't gone into details, but Remus got the feeling Harry wasn't quite welcome with his relatives due to his parents' lineage.

Nearing sunset, Mad-Eye finally seemed to perk up a bit: most of the children were being called home by their parents, and Harry wasn't leaving.

"How exactly are we doing this, Alastor?" Remus asked, watching Harry pick up handfuls of sand and let it fall through his fingers.

"Sleeping charm," Mad-Eye grunted. "A mild one. No one seems to be paying him any mind, so if it looks like he's gone to sleep, you can grab him after dark, I'll take his hair, and get back to Number Four."

They waited another fifteen minutes until only Harry remained. Very carefully, Mad-Eye performed the charm, and the two wizards watched the boy slump over in the sand in a deep sleep. When the sun went down, Mad-Eye muttered, "now," and Remus quickly stood, ignoring the stiffness in his back and legs, and grabbed Harry from the sandbox. He took the child back behind the bushes, checked that he hadn't been seen, and sat him on the dirt. Mad-Eye yanked a few hairs off Harry's head—Remus marveled that the boy could sleep through that, even with the use of magic—dropped one in a flask Remus knew to be Polyjuice Potion, and placed the rest safely in a baggy and into his pocket.

"See you soon, Lupin," Mad-Eye said, raising the flask. "Good luck."

"Same to you," Remus said quietly as the Auror put the flask to his lips and drank deeply. Once all the potion was gone, Mad-Eye put the empty flask into a pouch and waited. Minutes later, the wizard shivered violently and began to change. His magical eye popped out—Remus caught it and placed it on top of the pouch—he shrank considerably, his face becoming much smoother than Remus had ever seen it. His hair darkened several shades, becoming jet black, and his eyes turned bright green, matching Lily Potter's exactly.

"Transfigure my clothes," Mad-Eye said in a young child's quiet voice. "I'll do the eyes..."

Remus turned Harry around and got a good look at what he was wearing. Once he was certain of it, he murmured a few spells, turning Mad-Eyes cloak into a baggy child-sized t-shirt and shorts. While he did that, Mad-Eye had turned his magical eye into a pair of round-rimmed black glasses, an exact replica of the ones Harry was wearing. The final detail was adding a lightning bolt scar to Mad-Eye's forehead, and the transformation was complete. Any other time, Remus would have been highly amused at the current sight of Alastor Moody, but his mind reminded him why they were doing this and his amusement was squashed immediately.

"Well, take care, Lupin," Mad-Eye said in Harry's voice, standing from the ground and grabbing the pouch of Polyjuice potion flasks. "Get that kid out of here and don't let anyone see you." By the time he'd finished his sentence, Mad-Eye was already preparing to cross the street.

Remus watched the Auror until he was out of sight, then stood, taking Harry in his arms again and prepared to Apparate.

* * *

Remus entered the Muggle apartment building, disillusionment charms over both himself and Harry, and took the stairs to the fifth and topmost level. At the door of flat five-eighteen, he tapped his wand against the doorknob and waited. The knob seemed to shine brighter for a few seconds, recognizing Remus, before the locks unlocked themselves. He entered the flat quickly, closed the door behind him, and walked over to lay Harry on the sofa before undoing the disillusionment charms. Just as he was finishing, Emmeline entered.

"No problems, then?" she asked, standing beside the sofa and staring intently at the child.

Remus shook his head and sat in an armchair. "None at all," he said. "Mad-Eye is in Number Four as Harry, and nobody saw us take him." He sighed, shaking his head again, this time in disgust. "You'd think someone would have spotted a child being taken from a playground..."

She nodded in agreement and sat beside Harry. "But from what Arabella has said..."

She trailed off, but Remus knew what she was thinking: the neighborhood Harry was living in thought of him as a freak and a troublemaker. They probably would have been pleased to see him kidnapped... "Anything from Dumbledore?" he asked after a few moments.

"He sent a letter saying Minister Bagnold has decided to announce Sirius' escape," she said, reaching over to the coffee table to hand him a folded piece of parchment. "She's holding a press conference tomorrow morning."

Remus quickly read Dumbledore's letter, inwardly thankful to the Minister for at least waiting for Harry to be taken to safety.

"There's soup on the stove, if you're hungry," Emmeline said. "We should probably put Harry to bed—we can explain everything to him once he's gotten some good sleep."

Remus stood and walked over to pick Harry up. "Lead the way," he said with a smile to the witch.

Once they'd gotten Harry changed into proper pajamas and tucked him in, the two went to the kitchen were Emmeline demanded that Remus sit while she got him a bowl of soup. When she placed the bowl in front of him, he said thank you and began eating, vaguely wondering why she was watching him so intently.

"Could I ask you something?" she said quietly when he was halfway through his meal.

He nodded, setting down the spoon in the bowl. "Of course."

She seemed to hesitate. "I just wondered if you believe all the things the Ministry says Sirius has done," she said carefully. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but let her continue. "I've known Sirius as long as you have, and though I didn't know him as well as you, James, and Peter, I just never saw him as evil or even capable of hurting anyone, let alone killing his best friends and Muggles."

He sighed, looking directly at her when he replied. "Sirius Black was and still is capable of absolutely anything he sets his mind to," he said evenly, thinking of everything Sirius had accomplished in his life, good and bad. "He spent his entire life doing everything possible to separate himself from his family's reputation, you know that. And during the time that I knew him or _thought_ I knew him—while he occasionally did some extremely boneheaded things, he was one of the best friends I ever had—I saw all of this. It has taken me some time to realize that Sirius has it in him to do everything the Ministry has said he's done and then some. And to be honest, even now I still second guess myself at times. But when I think about Lily and James and Peter and Harry..." He swallowed his emotion and shook his head a little. "I know who is responsible, and I can only hope he has suffered as much as I have due to what he's done."

Emmeline only nodded in response and looked down at the table. Remus watched her for several minutes before she stood. "Well, I should get to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Good night," he said quietly. He watched her leave and looked back down at his bowl, finding he'd lost his appetite. After dumping what was left of his soup, cleaning the bowl, and putting away the leftovers, he went to the third bedroom of the flat, and lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling, thinking. He didn't fall asleep until after sunrise.

* * *

A large black dog snuck through the backyards of the perfect neighborhood that was Privet Drive, scavenging through trash bins, mostly for newspapers—he had found half a ham in one of the bins earlier and rolled his eyes at how wasteful Muggles could be. His overall objective was to catch a peak at his godson, though he didn't really think he had a shot, considering it was long past what a bedtime for a near five-year-old should be. Nevertheless, he was hopeful as he approached the kitchen window of Number Four. And it was just his luck that when he put his front paws up on the windowsill and looked in, he spotted a small child with familiar black, unruly hair entering the kitchen. With his excellent canine hearing abilities, he was even able to make out a few words of what Harry was muttering: something about bloody Muggles. Then Harry did something very odd. From his oversized pajama pocket, he removed a hipflask and drank deeply from it, shivering all over his small body as he finished.

_Why does that look so familiar? _the dog asked himself.

From the icebox, Harry took out things to make a large turkey sandwich, put the sandwich on a plate, and started to leave. While the dog was thinking that the child had an incredible appetite—probably inherited from his father—Harry stopped dead in his tracks and slowly began to turn, looking straight at the dog. It was a piercing stare that made the dog fear he'd been found out, and before Harry could so much as turn on a light for a better look, the dog had already bounded off into the bushes, hoping to be far from Little Whinging by morning.

* * *

In London, the real Harry Potter snapped his eyes open. The last thing he remembered was being at the playground, in the sandbox. Had he fallen asleep there? Panicking at the thoughts of how his aunt and uncle would punish him, Harry sat straight up and a blanket fell off his body. His attention momentarily diverted, he wondered how he'd gotten a blanket and further wondered where these very comfortable pajamas he was wearing had come from.

Once some of his panic and fear had subsided a bit, Harry slowly got out of the child-sized bed that most definitely was not the one he'd slept in before last night and looked around the small room. He wasn't sure where he was, but he did like this place. There was a toy chest that he ached to explore, books that called to him. A small desk was beside the window with crayons, paper, and coloring books. The walls were covered in posters of cartoon characters and superheroes—if Harry didn't know any better, he would have said this room looked just like Dudley's. On top of the desk chair, the clothes he'd been wearing at the playground were folded neatly and his shoes were on the dark green carpet below them.

Confused, Harry carefully went to the bedroom door and pulled it open slowly looking out into the unremarkable hallway. This definitely was not Number Four, Privet Drive. But then where was he? He'd heard Aunt Petunia warn Dudley about strangers that would kidnap him if he wasn't careful, and though she didn't seem to find the need to warn her nephew as well, he'd always been careful about talking to people he didn't know. As far as he could remember, he hadn't spoken to anyone at the playground yesterday. Like every time he played there, the other children and parents ignored him and avoided any area in which he wanted to play. Besides, who would want to kidnap a freak like him? It couldn't be for money; the Dursleys would never pay to get Harry back...

Acting far braver than he felt, Harry ventured out into the hallway and began looking around, marveling at how soft this carpet felt under his feet—the carpet at the Dursley's was rough and made his feet itchy. He entered what looked like a living room and looked to his left, freezing where he stood. He'd spotted two people sitting at a table, talking quietly over breakfast. They were a man and a woman, and they both looked friendly enough. The woman spotted him first. The man was trying to talk to her, but she'd looked over at Harry and her mouth dropped open a little. Realizing he'd lost the woman's attention, the man followed her line of sight to the hallway and looked at Harry.

"Good morning," he said kindly in a slightly hoarse voice. "Would you care for some breakfast?" He'd gestured at a seat beside him, but Harry stayed put. After a few moments, the woman stood up and made Harry a plate, setting it in front of the chair the man had pointed out. "Feel free to join us..." The man then turned back to the woman and continued the conversation they'd been having as though Harry had never entered.

Neither of them looked at Harry again, and something about this made the boy feel more comfortable with them. Finally, he slowly made his way to the table and climbed up on the chair, cautiously reaching out for the fork to eat some eggs. He was rather hungry...

* * *

Remus did everything he could not to smile when Harry sat beside them at the table. He and Emmeline had discussed it early in the morning, and had decided that the easiest way to get Harry accustomed to them was to let him make the decision on whether he wanted to. Every so often, Remus glanced over at the child as he ate. Not once did Harry look up at either of them; he only looked at his plate of food as though he was afraid to make eye contact with anyone while they ate.

After breakfast, Emmeline began to clear the table and Remus stood to help her. In the kitchen, he stood close to her while pretending to be emptying the plates into the trash. "Should we sit him down and just start telling him what's going on?" he asked quietly, looking into the dining room as Harry slid off the chair and went into the sitting room. "I've always done best when people were open with me."

"No," Emmeline said quietly, patiently. "Let him come to us with his questions. There is no quicker way to overwhelm a child than by filling his head with a bunch of information that will mean absolutely nothing to him."

Remus nodded and sighed, and left Emmeline in the kitchen to go find Harry. The child was looking around at some of the pictures Remus had decided to put up—mostly ones of his old friends. He'd been smart enough to freeze the photos so they looked like normal Muggle ones. Harry looked at the photos briefly before going to the window and looking down on the London street the apartment building stood beside.

"Nice view, isn't it?" Remus asked, his hands in his pockets. He could almost see Emmeline roll her eyes and sigh as he ignored her advice. "Have you ever been to London?"

Harry started and turned around, looking sheepish. He shook his head and avoided eye contact with Remus.

"My mum and dad used to bring me to the city when I was little. We would walk around all day long, not really going anywhere, but we always went for ice cream before dinner—it was one of the things I looked forward to when we came here," Remus said, slowly walking forward and sitting in the armchair. "My mum always pretended to be irritated with my dad when he suggested ice cream, but I knew she loved it. And I never got bored with coming here."

Harry looked down at his feet for a few moments before turning around and looking back out the window. Then he turned back to Remus, his brow furrowed. "Who are you?" he asked very quietly. It was so quiet, in fact, that Remus wondered if he'd imagined it.

"My name is Remus," the wizard told the child simply. "My friend in the kitchen is Emmeline."

Harry nodded at this information. "Why am I here?"

It looked to Remus like Harry was fighting not to ask these questions. So far, the child in front of him did not resemble James in the least, like Remus had expected him to. Actually, he reminded Remus of himself as a child, particularly when he'd started at Hogwarts.

Remus heard Emmeline sigh behind him. "Harry, Remus and I were friends of your parents," Emmeline began to explain. Harry's eyes widened. "We took you from your aunt and uncle to keep you safe from a person who may want to hurt you."

"You knew my parents?" Harry whispered in awe. "Really?"

Remus nodded. "They were some of our best friends," he said.

Emmeline sat on the sofa, and after a few minutes of staring between the two adults like he'd never seen another human being in his life, Harry sat beside her. With the ice broken, Remus and Emmeline took turns explaining what they knew about Sirius, James, and Lily in terms they believed Harry would understand. By the time they'd finished, it was nearing lunchtime and the _Daily Prophet_ had finally arrived. Harry watched the owl curiously as Remus paid it and took the newspaper. Once the bird had flown away, Remus unrolled the paper and kept his face blank as he looked directly into the eyes that he had always seen full of mischievousness. Now they were dead and hollow. Remus hardly read the article about Sirius' escape. He caught a few sentences—_Black is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous; Black's crimes include passing information to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter; murderer of a dozen Muggles and one wizard. _

"Doesn't look even a bit like him anymore, does it?" Emmeline asked quietly, leaning over his shoulder to look at the article. "He looks horrible."

Remus cleared his throat before speaking and opened the newspaper to another article that had absolutely nothing to do with his former friend. "Well, that's what happens when you're convicted of murdering dozens of people," he said flatly. "You rot away..." He looked around the sitting room. "Where'd Harry go?"

"He asked if he could go play with the toys in his room," Emmeline said, moving to sit on the sofa. "Do you think he understood anything we told him?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea," he said honestly. "But he seems to realize we're not going to hurt him, and I think that's the most important thing at the moment."

She nodded. "Now we just have to introduce him to magic..."

Remus snorted a laugh and grinned. "That's easy," he said, waving it off. "You and I just have to start rearranging the furniture with our wands. I think he'll realize there's something not quite right with us when he sees that..."

Emmeline rolled her eyes, but smiled a little. "Come on," she said, standing. "Let's go see if he's up to a board game."

Chuckling, Remus placed the newspaper on the end table and stood to follow her to Harry's room.


	2. Two

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Two_

About a week following the announcement of Sirius Black's escape, the entire wizarding community was on its toes. Posters were plastered all over Diagon Alley, Aurors were out in full force, and every witch and wizard was on the lookout for the psychopathic follower of Lord Voldemort. Parents were keeping a very close watch on their children, not daring to let them stray further from their homes than what was absolutely necessary. Children looked around corners, afraid that one wrong move would trigger their demise. And the Ministry of Magic was stressing out more than they had in five years in their attempt to capture a single wizard.

Frankly, Sirius Black himself found it all quite amusing. Certainly he realized what would happen if he was captured again: he'd be given back to the dementors and would probably be soulless before Millicent Bagnold could even give the order. And it wasn't that he was laughing about why he was in prison in the first place. Mostly it was because anyone who knew him—_really_ knew him—would know that he wouldn't hurt a fly. Unfortunately, after his arrest, he doubted there was a single person within the wizarding world who would take his side, let alone fight to keep him out of the grip of the Dementor's Kiss...

Currently, the escaped prisoner was roaming around London in his Animagus form looking for the latest issues of the _Daily Prophet._ Most witches and wizards would head through the Leaky Cauldron to do this, but Sirius knew that there were a few people who would carelessly throw out their copy of the wizarding newspaper, and he hoped to be lucky enough to benefit from such a mistake. The number of times he'd passed Aurors over the last few days was too many to count, and though he'd remained in dog form until they were out of sight, Sirius was getting nervous. It would only take one mistake to get him thrown right back into Azkaban, the place he'd done everything possible to escape.

He wandered into a park in the early evening and his ears perked. He couldn't quite place the sounds or scents his senses had picked up, but he knew he didn't want to get too near them. The dog followed the scents through the park towards a playground. There he didn't see anything familiar: there were children playing on the swings and the slide, and their parents were keeping watch on them out of the corner of their eyes while having their own conversations.

Pretending to be a stray looking for food, Sirius carefully made his way through the parents, trying to pinpoint whatever it was that seemed so familiar to his brain. A woman spotted him, smiled, and placed a half-eaten sandwich on the ground for him. Licking his lips and wagging his tail, Sirius made his way forward and sniffed it before beginning to eat his first meal in days. Just as he was finishing, a voice floated towards him, and he heard his name being spoken by an unfamiliar voice. Not one hundred feet from where he was finishing his sandwich, a man and woman were sitting on a bench together. The man seemed to be on guard for something while the woman told him to calm down. Neither of them looked the least bit familiar to him.

"And what if he shows up here?" the man was whispering. "We can't very well just start a duel with him."

"Will you calm down?" the woman replied, rolling her eyes. "Let's just have a nice afternoon out for a change. Besides, Jamie seems to be having the time of his life." She glanced over at the man as his hand twitched. Sirius knew that twitch: it was the twitch of a nervous wizard going for his wand. "Put that away!" she whispered harshly as the handle of a wand began to leave the man's jacket pocket.

"Something isn't right," the man continued to insist, ignoring the woman's annoyance. "We shouldn't have come here."

She sighed. "Fine, you go get Jamie and we'll go home. You're getting bloody paranoid. Nothing is going to happen in a park."

The man glared at her for a moment before finally relaxing into the bench, though Sirius could see that his hand didn't move far from his jacket for a long period of time. The longer he watched, the longer Sirius was certain he knew this man from somewhere. The couple sat quietly for a while, smiling occasionally at something Sirius couldn't quite see from behind his tree. After about half an hour, Sirius realized that the couple was smiling at a blond-haired little boy. He couldn't figure out why this family had him so fascinated, but he watched them until they left the park. Not until they were completely out of sight did Sirius decide to take his own leave. It was getting dark, and he needed to find somewhere to sleep.

* * *

"Boy!" Vernon Dursley yelled out across the kitchen. "I'm not telling you again: _get me my coffee!_"

Mad-Eye curled his lip, the magical eyeglasses he wore giving him the vision of Harry's uncle and his ugly purple face. Dudley sat beside his father, looking between him and Mad-Eye eagerly as though hoping to see Harry get into more trouble. And though Mad-Eye wanted nothing more than to turn around and curse the entire Dursley family, he kept his cool; with any luck, Dumbledore would have him out of Number Four within the next couple weeks and he could get back to the Ministry to help search for Sirius Black. Until then, Mad-Eye would continue to play house-elf for these rude Muggles.

"There you go, Uncle Vernon," he said in his best imitation of a frightened little boy. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep the contempt out of his glare. Vernon Dursley stared at who he thought was his nephew for a few seconds until Mad-Eye had the sense to turn away and start work on the chores he'd been set.

As he mowed the lawn later that afternoon, Mad-Eye got the feeling of being watched—it was the same one he'd had when he first came to Number Four. He continued on with the lawn, but let his glasses roam around, searching for anyone in the vicinity that could be hiding. Then he spotted the same large, black dog as that first night watching him from the bushes, and just as on the first night, he got the feeling this dog was more than he seemed. Mad-Eye made a mental note to send a patronus to Dumbledore at the same moment that the dog disappeared.

* * *

Remus was enjoying his new role as father to Harry. It'd taken a few days for the boy to get used to him and Emmeline, and a few more to get used to the idea of magic, witches, and wizards. But once he had—and once Remus had gotten somewhat over wanting to curse Vernon and Petunia Dursley for lying to their nephew so horribly and thoroughly—Harry began coming out of his shell a bit more. Though Remus and Emmeline didn't think Harry completely understood the reason for hiding, he did a superb job at holding to the story for a four-year-old. There were a few slipups here and there, but they were becoming much less common as time went on.

Harry had wanted to know everything about the wizarding world and about his parents. Remus found he didn't mind these long discussions one bit, and it was even becoming easier for him to talk about his old friends than it had been since they died. Emmeline seemed to be enjoying their new mission just as much—she and Lily had been best friends during their time at Hogwarts, regardless of the fact that Emmeline had been a Ravenclaw and Lily a Gryffindor. The one and only reason Emmeline hadn't been named godmother for Harry was that she'd been out of the country during Harry's christening on Order business.

It was nearing midnight and Remus sat in the living room wide awake and on high alert for no apparent reason. He'd been slightly paranoid since he, Emmeline, and Harry had gone to the park two days before. He'd gotten an odd feeling that day that he just couldn't shake, and he was beginning to wonder about his own failing sanity. He hadn't yet talked to Emmeline, mostly because he didn't understand it himself. It had been the wolf's side of his mind that continued to be ever vigilant. The closest Remus could come to explaining it was the feeling he got when his friends, the Marauders, joined him on full moon nights. And no matter how often or firmly Remus tried to reason with the wolf, to tell him his friends were no longer around, the wolf continued to insist more and more strongly with each passing day that he was completely wrong.

"Can't sleep again?" Emmeline asked quietly.

He turned around and smiled at her. "Again?"

"I think this is the third night in a row that you've sat out here and haven't slept."

"I haven't been keeping you awake, have I?" he asked as she sat.

She shook her head. "Not at all," she told him. "I haven't been sleeping well myself—new place... So what's weighing on your mind so heavily that it keeps you from sleeping?"

He sighed, considering what to tell her. "Everything," he finally admitted. "Sirius mostly... And Harry..."

"What about them?"

"Well, for starters, what it was that compromised the blood protection," he said quietly. "I was always under the impression that there wasn't much that could break it." He sighed. "And whether Lily did it accidentally or not, I don't see her leaving any sort of loopholes in the magic."

"It wasn't like she had time to sit down and cast the protection, though," Emmeline replied. "Besides, a blood sacrifice can't exactly be planned out before it's done—it's strongest when it happens on a whim. Lily would have had to decide when Voldemort's wand was in her face whether she would sacrifice herself for Harry."

"I know," Remus said. "But I don't understand what—short of the Dursleys kicking Harry out on the streets and declaring publicly that he no longer resided with them—would break such an ancient, strong magic."

"Maybe somebody else claimed Harry belonged to them and not the Dursleys," Emmeline suggested thoughtfully. "Somebody who can actually say they have a legal right to him."

"The only person I can think of that could possibly have that claim..." Remus said, trailing off at the very thought of Sirius Black taking claim on his godson. "But in order for him to do that, he'd have to show himself to the Ministry; otherwise, nothing can be finalized."

"Not necessarily," Emmeline said, doing absolutely nothing to ease his mind. "The Ministry can only go so far in declaring a person legal guardian for a child. Now if it was written somewhere that Sirius is the only person who can raise Harry due to Lily and James' wishes, the Ministry can't do anything about it. True, they can re-arrest Sirius and place Harry with whomever they please, but if Sirius' conviction was ever overturned and he was released, nobody could argue against Harry being raised by him."

"They could," Remus said broodingly. "They just wouldn't get anywhere." Emmeline nodded. "Why would Lily and James appoint him sole custody of Harry anyway?"

"He was their Secret-Keeper, wasn't he? They obviously trusted him, even if..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Even if he was a traitorous piece of scum," Remus finished in a mutter. "If we're correct, I think I know why Dumbledore was so hesitant to say anything."

Emmeline only shrugged. "I'm sure when he's ready, we'll know. Until then, the only thing you and I can do is make sure Harry is kept safe—that's our number one priority; not worrying about why or how the protection was broken."

Remus nodded, but continued to worry nonetheless.

* * *

_**Sirius Black Sighted In London!**_

_Ministry Aurors received a tip late last night from a Muggle whose name has yet to be released. The tip came in through a Muggle telephone line setup by the Muggle Prime Minister and Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold. Black was apparently reading what the Ministry believes to be the most recent copy of the _Daily Prophet_ when spotted in the alleyway located only two city blocks from the Leaky Cauldron. Black panicked and ran away from the witness. Aurors searched the surrounding area and found no further signs of Black. Security has been increased until the Ministry believes the threat of Black in this area has lessened._

* * *

Harry was greatly enjoying his change in residence. It had taken him a while to get used to how differently Remus and Emmeline treated him as opposed to his aunt and uncle, and he was still rather nervous about it at times. He'd gotten so accustomed to being treated like dirt that he believed that was how all adults would treat him. But Remus and Emmeline were complete opposites to the Dursleys—they invited him to ask questions and answered them with patience; they didn't force him to do all of the household chores; he was allowed to have as much food as he pleased at dinner and even got dessert afterwards; they read to him at night before he went to sleep and told him stories about his mum and dad. And what was most shocking to Harry's young mind: they seemed to genuinely enjoy having him around.

Harry was learning all about the wizarding world as each day went on. Remus and Emmeline had explained to him about Sirius Black and that they were afraid Sirius Black would come for Harry—that was why Harry had been taken from Privet Drive to this place. Though he couldn't fully comprehend all the things Black had done, Harry understood he was a bad person. Remus told him that if he was ever confronted by Black, he should do everything in his power to get away from the man. Harry noticed that anytime Remus spoke of Black he looked both immensely sad and angry at the same time.

Currently, Harry sat on the floor in the living room next to Emmeline and across from Remus as they played Monopoly. So far, he was beating both adults and he knew he would end up winning the game. But just as Remus was counting out play-money to give Harry for landing on his property, a big silver bird appeared in the middle of the board and began to speak in a voice Harry had never heard before.

"Please come to Hogwarts immediately," the voice told Remus. The bird glanced at Harry briefly before fading away as though it had never been there at all.

Remus looked at Emmeline with a confused raised eyebrow. Emmeline shrugged. "Go ahead," she said quietly. "Harry and I will keep playing. You're losing anyway."

If Harry had been a little older, he would have realized she had only added her final comment to lessen some of the tension that had filled the room at the bird's arrival.

Remus gave her a look. "I'm only losing because Harry cheats."

"I do not!" Harry said incredulously as Remus stood. "You just can't play!"

Remus laughed and winked at him before grabbing his wand. "I'll be back as soon as I can, then," he told the other two. A moment later, he disappeared with a _pop_.

Emmeline watched the spot he'd been in for a few moments looking thoughtful.

"What was that?" Harry asked, feeling a little guilty for interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" Emmeline asked, shaking herself a little. "Oh, that was a patronus from Professor Dumbledore. It's a way he can communicate with us privately."

"Oh," Harry said, losing all interest in Monopoly all of a sudden. "What was the animal?"

"It's called a phoenix," Emmeline said. "I might have a book that shows one. How about you go sit in the kitchen, I'll find the book, and we'll look at it while we eat ice cream?"

Harry smiled. "Okay!" he said excitedly, already halfway to the table. Emmeline chuckled and went to her bedroom to find her book.

* * *

Remus entered Hogwarts castle and navigated the corridors as though it had only been yesterday that he and his friends had wandered the school late at night. He went up the spiral staircase and knocked three times on the Headmaster's door before being called in. Remus was only mildly surprised to find Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape sitting in front of the Headmaster's desk.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Please, have a seat."

Rather than sit beside Snape, Remus saved both of them from the torture and pulled up a chair to sit next to McGonagall.

"How is Harry fairing in his new surroundings?" Dumbledore asked, pouring a cup of tea and passing it to Remus.

Remus smiled, ignoring the look on Snape's face. "Very well, I think," he said. "He's beginning to open up more and more as the days pass, and there have yet to be issues."

"I am very pleased to hear that," Dumbledore replied. This seemed to end all the small talk for the time being. "As I am certain we have all read the _Daily Prophet_ earlier this week, I will not recount the article concerning the sighting of Sirius Black. Since this sighting—whether it was true or false—there have been no more."

"Do you not believe Sir—er, _Black _was actually seen, sir?" Remus asked quietly, looking straight ahead and trying to block out his blunder.

"I admit that I have my doubts," Dumbledore said. "According to the Minister of Magic, the Muggle eyewitness as highly intoxicated when she phoned in her tip to the hotline. In addition to that, her description of Black's appearance was far too vague for the Ministry to be absolutely certain that it was indeed Black who was seen."

"And has anyone figured out _how _he escaped in the first place?" McGonagall asked. "Or how he was able to keep his mind clear enough to do it after five years with dementors?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, that remains a mystery. The only clue found thus far is a footprint—or a paw print, rather—that was discovered by the Aurors. This paw print seems to show that a rather large animal made its way onto the coast straight from the sea."

Remus blinked a few times, but that didn't seem to get rid of the image of a large, black, soaking wet dog leaving the sea and shaking himself dry as he reached land. There could have only been one large animal that would have braved the freezing cold water, and only one animal that could have possibly been around dementors for so long. Remus tried not to think about that animal; if he did, he would begin to feel guilty about not having mentioned the animal before. And it was probably—most likely, in fact—one of the main reasons Sirius hadn't been caught. It was, after all, the perfect disguise. The only thing that kept Remus from blurting out his former friend's secret was that he didn't want to admit to anybody—least of all himself—that he'd led his best friends to become illegal Animagi. Then, of course, there was his fear of letting Dumbledore down. The Headmaster had done so much for Remus over the years, and the younger wizard didn't want to do anything that could possibly lessen the respect his mentor had for him.

But Remus didn't know how much longer he'd be able to handle the guilt that seemed to be eating away at him. He continued to hope, though, that Sirius would be captured before he, Remus, had to admit that he'd been withholding information that could've gotten him caught much more quickly.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape continued to exchange theories while Remus remained silent, listening. Every so often, he contributed a comment about places Sirius may have considered hiding, even though he honestly had no clue; Sirius could be anywhere...

It wasn't much longer before Dumbledore ended their meeting—by Remus' watch, it was quickly approaching ten o'clock. Dumbledore and McGonagall walked Remus out of the castle and to the gates—Snape had opted to return to the dungeons—and after promising to tell Emmeline and Harry hello for them, Remus Apparated back to London. When he entered the flat, Emmeline was wide awake, a book in her lap and half a glass of wine sitting on the coffee table. She closed her book and set it aside when she spotted Remus.

"Anything new?" she asked as Remus sat in the armchair.

He shook his head and sighed. "Nothing concrete," he responded. "Dumbledore is under the impression that the Muggle who sighted Sirius was drunk, and other than a set of tracks leading from the sea, the Ministry is absolutely clueless about where to find him."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "What kind of tracks?" she asked slowly.

"Animal," Remus answered. "A large one according to Dumbledore. I'm not certain what type of animal, but there you have it."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting," she said quietly, seemingly slipping into her own world. After a few moments of this, she shook herself. "Harry's asleep. And I believe I found something he's very interested in." At Remus' questioning look, she smiled. "Magical creatures. After seeing Dumbledore's patronus, I found my old textbook from Hogwarts and Harry and I spent the better part of the evening looking through it."

Remus chuckled. "I see you cleaned up the game. With any luck, Harry will have forgotten about it by morning."

"I wouldn't count on that," Emmeline said with a smirk. "He was looking quite forward to beating you."

Rolling his eyes, Remus stood. "He's just like James: he can't just let any sort of competition go; he has to win at everything."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of playing him again, Remus," Emmeline teased. "It's not his fault your strategy of buying up all the cheapest properties doesn't work."

"I'll have you know that my strategy has always worked," Remus said rather defensively. "And who said anything about being afraid of playing him again?"

Emmeline only chuckled and went to refill her wine glass. Once she'd poured one for Remus, the two sat on the sofa, sipping their drinks, both losing themselves in their thoughts.

Remus had always enjoyed Emmeline's company. They'd been good friends since around second year at Hogwarts when they'd been partnered together on a Defense Against the Dark Arts project. Whenever Remus didn't feel like joining in on Sirius' and James' ideas for pranks, he could sit with Emmeline and talk about whatever came to their minds. She was quite aware about his being a werewolf, but he had yet to see any signs that she thought any less of him because of it. As for the full moons while he, Emmeline, and Harry were in hiding, Remus would return to his cottage in the forests of Kent for his transformations in order to ensure the safety of his two new housemates.

_Only a few days from now_, he reminded himself with a touch of annoyance. He would spend the day after the full moon in his home as well, to allow himself to heal some and rest before returning to London.

"So," Emmeline said quietly after they'd refilled their wine. "Any ideas on _why_ Sirius wanted to escape?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "If you were stuck in Azkaban, wouldn't _you_ want to escape?" he asked dully.

"Touché," she responded with a chuckle, raising her glass to him. "Though I meant other motives..."

Remus sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. There could have been dozens of possibilities ranging from revenge to wanting to find Voldemort."

"You actually think he would go looking for Voldemort?"

"I'd imagine there are several Death Eaters who would jump at the chance to find him and bring him back to power," Remus said darkly. "They probably believe they'll be rewarded, or at least as rewarded as a Death Eater could ever be."

"I still can't believe it," she said, mostly to herself. "Sirius just never seemed the type to turn on his friends like that. And I don't know about you, but I never saw any sign that he'd changed loyalties."

Remus only shrugged. Emmeline knew quite well that he'd suspected Sirius had been spying for Voldemort since Dumbledore had let slip his beliefs that the Order was being betrayed. Remus' reasons for believing his friend to be the spy hadn't been the best—he'd heard things here and there; Sirius began acting oddly towards him—but that had been enough that Remus' trust had wavered to the point that he couldn't even be near Sirius towards the end without wanting to accuse him or better yet, to curse him. James never would have believed Sirius to be the spy; this point was proven when James—unintelligently, in Remus' opinion—named Sirius Secret-Keeper when the Potter family had been forced into hiding. No amount of hinting would have changed James' mind, either; James trusted Sirius above all his other friends, and though Remus had known this for years, it didn't do much to ease the pain he felt when he recalled James telling him Sirius wasn't the spy and it would all be alright in the end. Remus sometimes wondered what James' last thoughts had been, after Voldemort had blown their door away and before Voldemort had murdered him. Remus was willing to bet that betrayal and hurt was high up on the list...

* * *

It was the full moon night and Sirius was wandering a dark forest, knowing that the moment he exited he would start recalling some of the best times of his life, and he wanted to put off that moment for as long as possible. Somehow, he'd managed to avoid all thoughts of his friends since his escape from Azkaban, and he wasn't exactly anxious to start thinking about them now—it would only depress him worse than any dementor could have ever managed.

Long before he was fully prepared, he made it to a clearing and sat in the center of it, staring at the moon. It took him a few minutes to realize why this place looked so familiar and why he felt more comfortable here than he had in any other place. He inwardly sighed as he locked eyes on a large rock on the forest's edge, and hesitantly made his way towards it. Just as he'd expected, the rock was engraved with four names, including his own. Sometime in their seventh year, the Marauders had come to this clearing where they'd played Quidditch several times before. It had been James' idea to carve their names into the rock, and since he'd been the best at controlling his wand when it came to delicate things such as this, Remus had been the one to do the actual engraving.

The black dog looked over its shoulder, checking to make certain he was absolutely alone and began to transform. Sirius felt uncomfortable in his human form for longer than a few minutes—he couldn't honestly remember the last time he'd been in his own flesh for a long period of time, but thought it was most likely that before leaving Azkaban. Since his escape, he'd found clean robes and had even borrowed a sleeping wizard's wand to shave and give himself a haircut—the wizard had fallen asleep in a park and Sirius had given it back when he'd finished.

Sirius kneeled beside the rock and stared as it for a long time. Every so often, he reached out and traced the names as though expecting his friends to appear behind him if he did it correctly. He didn't know how long he sat there—hours probably—but as he stood to leave, preparing to transform back into Padfoot, he heard a deep growl somewhere within the trees. It only took a moment to recognize the growl and even less time to realize he was about to be in deep trouble.

* * *

Moony had been pacing since sunset and wouldn't calm down long enough to even take a sip of water. In the back of the werewolf's mind, his human-counterpart tried desperately to get him to relax (he knew what state he would be in if the werewolf continued to keep this level energy all night).

To Moony, his objective was clear: escape from the room he was in and go into the forest he knew was just outside. His friend was out there—one he hadn't seen in many years, and Moony was eager to see him again. The back part of his mind had told him repeatedly over time that his friends were gone and would never return again. But Moony knew better; his packmates had never let him down when they could help it, and now wasn't any different. He could feel it—the dog was there. He pushed back what little bit of humanity remained in his mind and proceeded up the staircase. After a few moments' hesitancy—he'd been trained to know what would happen if he attempted to go through that door—Moony began destroying the rather thin wood that kept him from the dog. Once a big enough hole had been made, Moony went through, ignoring the sharp, painful electricity that shot through his body. The only sign that showed he felt it was a loud yelp and a scream in the very back of his mind.

The window was wide open, just as Moony knew it would be, and he jumped through it easily. Breathing in the fresh night air, Moony sprinted into the woods, tearing the shrubbery apart as he went, not paying any mind to the branches that tore at his fur and flesh.

The scent was getting stronger and Moony was getting excited. By now, the human part of his mind was far enough back that the werewolf could no longer hear his pleas to stop and turn back to the cottage. He approached the clearing, keeping his eyes wide open and slowing down so he didn't startle the dog. There, on the other side of the clearing; the dog wasn't there, but a human was. The human had the same scent as the dog and it briefly confused Moony. As the human stood up, Moony growled deeply and knelt down into his attack position.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry it took so long to update, especially considering I've got the first several chapters already to post... I've hit a bit of a block with my other stories, not helped along by one sprained wrist and the other severely bruised. Don't ask... Just review. Thank you kindly.


	3. Three

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Three_

Sirius searched the clearing and all the trees surrounding it for the familiar werewolf. He knew there was only one in the vicinity, so it had to be Remus... The growling became louder and closer—Sirius quickly transformed, continuing to search as he did so. It was only a few more minutes before the light brown werewolf exited the trees, right behind Sirius. He swung around, preparing to fight, but hoping to somehow avoid it. And then Moony did something Sirius didn't expect: he was lying on the grass, his tongue lolling, and his tuft of a tail wagging. If Sirius didn't know any better, he'd say Moony seemed genuinely happy to see him. Sirius thought he knew why this was—Remus couldn't have been in control of his mind; if he had been, Moony would have already attacked.

To test his theory, Sirius took a few forward steps towards the werewolf, and the werewolf let out a happy bark. Still quite confused, Sirius' reply bark was a questioning one, asking the werewolf what he was doing. Moony then put his head and front paws on the ground, his tail in the air, still wagging like mad; though Sirius knew exactly that this stance was the one Moony took when he felt playful, he was still rather nervous. If he and the werewolf started playing, at some point during the game, the wolf would relax and Remus would be able to temporarily regain control of his mind, and then what would happen?

As Sirius tried to think of a way out of this entire situation, Moony sprang, knocking the black dog backwards, and knocking the wind right out of him. And thus began a playful wrestling match between Moony and Padfoot that hadn't taken place in years. Sirius hadn't yet realized how out of shape he'd become in Azkaban—he was skinny as a rail, but he hadn't done anything that required much energy since his arrest. After nearly an hour of playing as though nothing had ever changed between them, the two canines took a break, giving Sirius time to catch his breath before round two. His hope was to tire the werewolf out enough that he fell asleep, then Sirius could hopefully get away.

He glanced over at where Moony was catching his own breath. He'd expected to see the werewolf preparing for another attack. Instead, though, Moony was giving him an odd look. The longer Sirius watched, he began to realized what was happening: Remus was fighting to get to the forefront of his mind; he'd recognized Sirius and any minute now, the Animagus would see a shift in the werewolf's eyes: the current amber-colored playful ones would be replaced with blue thoughtful ones, and then there would be real trouble. Sirius' only chance of escape now would be to incapacitate the werewolf. But as he tried to think of ways out of this without actually killing Remus, the playful growls he'd been hearing all night had suddenly changed to deep, throaty ones—threatening ones. The werewolf stood up on all fours, stalking towards Sirius slowly, challenging him. He had no choice but to fight—if he didn't he'd either die or be so injured by morning that the Ministry would have no trouble hauling him back to Azkaban once Remus called them.

Moony sprang again—this time with his jaws wide open revealing razor sharp teeth, and he was going right for the dog's throat. Sirius stumbled back just in time and Moony landed face first on the ground. He stood again, shaking off the obvious pain, and the threatening growls were becoming more and more persistent. The two canines circled one another, both growling now—Sirius trying to tell the werewolf he didn't want a fight. Moony ignored him and attacked again with teeth, claws, and anything else he could harm Sirius with. Sirius defended himself, trying not to hurt his old friend, but also desperate to get away.

They wrestled, their jaws snapping at one another. Once or twice, Sirius felt the werewolf's teeth sink into him and Sirius responded in kind. At one point, Sirius bit down on Moony's paw, just as the werewolf swiped at him, and he felt bones breaking between his jaws. Moony backed off momentarily after this, but it wasn't long before the fight continued.

A plan finally sprang into Sirius' mind—he knew it would be immensely painful for the other animal, but if it worked out correctly, Sirius could heal the injuries before they became too horrible. Sirius forced Moony to backup several paces, and as the werewolf leapt into the air, just as the Animagus knew he would, the black dog met him midair. The force of the collision knocked Moony backwards, taking Sirius with him, and the werewolf's head hit the Marauders' engraved rock, just as Sirius had hoped it would, knocking Moony completely unconscious.

Sirius watched him for a few moments, just to make absolutely certain Moony wasn't going to wake up before turning around and charging through the forest towards Remus' cottage. Once he arrived at the backdoor, he transformed to his human form again and ran inside, searching furiously for Remus' wand. He found it in the third place he checked: on the bedside table in the master bedroom. He carefully placed the wand in his mouth and transformed back into Padfoot before going back to the clearing. Remus was still there, and still deeply unconscious. As quickly as he could manage having not used Healing spells in nearly five years and not having his own wand, Sirius proceeded to heal all of Remus' injuries. Once he was certain his friend wasn't going to die from blood loss, he stunned the werewolf before levitating him into the air and guiding him back to the cottage. There, he got Remus settled in his bed, covered him with a blanket, and went into the kitchen to heal his own injuries.

Remus would wake at moonset, once his transformation began again. Sirius briefly considered modifying his old friend's memory, but decided against it; a werewolf was difficult to stun at the best of times and a memory modification charm would drain Sirius of time and energy, both of which he would need desperately if he was to get as far from Kent as he could.

Sirius remained in Remus' cottage until about an hour before sunrise in order to ensure the werewolf would be all right. Though he wanted to wait until Remus' transformation, he knew if he hung around for too long, he'd risk much more than just an angry werewolf trying to tear his throat out, and right now, he wasn't willing to do that. Before leaving, he went back to check on Remus—he was still out cold. He placed Remus' wand on the bedside table, right where he'd found it, and headed back to the kitchen. He took a bit of food to hold him over, inwardly promising to pay Remus back the first chance he got. With a sigh, Sirius left the cottage.

* * *

It was past noon before Remus woke. He vaguely remembered his transformation at sunset and that it was less painful than normal. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling, he began to realize the oddity of where he was. Most of what he remembered from the night before was a blur—the last clear memory he had was in the basement: he and Moony had been arguing about whether the werewolf had actually sensed one of his old friends in the forest. The more he willed himself to remember, the clearer everything was beginning to become: Moony breaking down the door and the charm failing to do its job; running through the forest to the clearing; seeing the large black dog there. But the dog hadn't been there initially... It had been Sirius, in human form. And at some point, Remus had recognized him and Moony had attacked him.

_So if I attacked Sirius,_ Remus tried to reason, _how did I get back inside? I couldn't have done it under my own power..._

He looked over at the bedside table and saw his wand lying there. Along the handle were what looked to be smeared fingerprints in dried blood. Remus had a good feeling that if he was to compare his own prints to the ones on his wand, they wouldn't match. At this thought, Remus wondered if it had been Sirius who used it—but why? If Sirius didn't have his own wand, why didn't he just steal Remus'? He'd done worse than petty theft without a second thought.

Then his mind supplied an answer: Sirius had been trying to help Remus. But Remus didn't accept this; he couldn't figure out why Sirius wouldn't have just killed him. It would've made more sense if he had; if he was dead, Remus certainly couldn't report seeing him. But the lack of injury to Remus' body seemed proof enough hat Sirius had been helping; as Remus got up and started looking around his cottage—mostly to see if Sirius was still there, hiding somewhere—he could see blood drops on the floor. Had Sirius brought him back here to heal him?

Sighing frustratingly, Remus decided he would need a second mind to analyze Sirius Black's behavior. After locking up his home, Remus changed his clothes, grabbed his wand, and Apparated back to London.

* * *

"What I don't understand," Emmeline said after hearing Remus' account of the full moon night, "is how he could have even been around you while you're transformed. If you'd bitten him..."

Remus nodded, averting his eyes. Emmeline didn't know about three of the Marauders becoming illegal Animagi while at Hogwarts. "I can't explain it," he lied, hoping Emmeline wouldn't pick up on it. "It wasn't as though he had a wand out there; if he had, he would have used it instead of mine, right?"

Emmeline nodded. "And other than the basement door being destroyed, there wasn't any sign of you being conscious and in the cottage?"

"None," Remus said.

She sighed. "I honestly don't know what to say," she said. "You're absolutely certain this happened? I mean, it wasn't a dream or something?"

"_Positively_ certain."

"Well, maybe Sirius has powers we don't know about. I've been thinking about what Dumbledore said about the animal tracks at Azkaban—maybe they belong to Sirius."

Again, Remus averted his eyes. He couldn't get the thoughts of Moony not considering Sirius a threat out of his head. Over the years, he'd come to trust the judgment of the wolf—he had a pretty clear sense of friend versus foe, regardless of what Remus tended to think of a person. And the time between the wolf first seeing Sirius in the clearing and Remus recognizing him was still quite confusing. Every time he tried to remember what had occurred, though no memories actually popped up in his mind's eye, Remus had the feeling the wolf had been genuinely happy for the first time in years.

Emmeline watched Remus for a few minutes before getting up to go find Harry. Remus remained in the living room for some time, trying to clear his mind of the past twelve hours, maybe then he could make some sense of it all. But the more he tried to relax, the more frustrated he was becoming. He kept thinking about Sirius—where was he going, what was his intent? The Ministry had doubled their searches for the escaped convict since his escape, but the problem was they were looking for a man, not a large black dog. He knew that if he told someone Sirius was an Animagus, the searches might actually get somewhere, but something kept holding him back every time he opened his mouth to tell Emmeline or Dumbledore. He tried to deny that he had any continued loyalty towards Sirius, but there was nothing else it could be: he'd become so accustomed to keeping the Marauders' biggest secret that it was difficult for him to tell anybody. Though he was beginning to hate himself for it, there was something in him, telling him not to do anything to get Sirius captured again. That same something wanted nothing more than for him to find Sirius and just talk to him—then, the feeling told him, everything would make more sense than it had in five years.

No matter how much he'd tried over the years to convince himself otherwise, he didn't hate Sirius Black for what he'd done. Though he was far from welcoming the other wizard back with open arms, he honestly didn't think he could ever hurt his old friend. And that thought bothered him to no end. He'd always been able to forgive Sirius for the stupid things he'd done when he was younger, but killing your best friends was much worse than sending an enemy into a transformed werewolf's territory. He should have had no trouble forgetting Sirius Black ever existed. But every time he tried, his mind reminded him of all the good things Sirius had done for him, like becoming an Animagus so he could keep his mind on the full moon nights.

He thought Emmeline had the right ideas with her thoughts on Sirius' guilt: she wasn't quite convinced that he'd done what he'd been accused of, but she wasn't nearly as loyal to him as she'd once been. During their time at school, Emmeline had been one of the only people outside the group of the Marauders that could actually claim she knew Sirius. They'd known each other as small children—both their families were well respected within the wizarding world and when they were forced to go to functions hosted by the Ministry of Magic, the two of them found that if they spent the time together, it went much more quickly. They'd remained friends through Hogwarts, though they'd drifted apart when they'd been placed in separate houses and began to make their own friends. When Emmeline, Lily, and Remus were all made Prefects in their fifth year, Emmeline began spending more and more time with the Gryffindors than she did with people in her own house.

When Sirius had been arrested, Emmeline remained suspicious of the entire situation. She never believed Sirius had the capability to turn evil. She'd never quite come out and said what she believed to Remus, but he always had the feeling she knew more than she let on. Whether this was actually true or he was imagining it, Remus didn't know. He was, however, beginning to wonder about Sirius' guilt and whether there was more to it than what the Ministry believed.

Groaning in frustration, desperately needing to take his mind off the entire thing, Remus stood and went to find Emmeline and Harry to suggest a night out to dinner and the cinema.

* * *

Sirius knew exactly what he wanted. The only problem he had was actually finding it. He knew that if he somehow located Wormtail, the Ministry would have to listen to him. If Wormtail was thrown at their feet, alive and well, how could they possibly say Sirius had killed him? And once they realized they were wrong about Wormtail, surely they'd look into everything else they'd accused Sirius of. Really, none of that other stuff really mattered to Sirius, though; the Ministry could say he'd killed five hundred Muggles and it would hardly bother him. There was only one thing he'd been accused of that ate away at him and it was the only one that he blamed himself for. True, he hadn't been the one to hand Lily and James over to Voldemort, but he had agreed to the bloody _perfect bluff_. And maybe—just maybe—if he hadn't been so focused on believing Remus being he spy for two seconds, he would have seen what Peter had been up to. But unfortunately, no matter how intelligent Sirius knew himself to be, he hadn't learned how to change the past. His only hope for setting things right was to track Peter down—I mean really, how many rats could there possibly be in England?

As Sirius wandered through yet another forest nearly a fortnight after the full moon, though he was forcing himself to remain optimistic, he couldn't help but think the Ministry was much more likely to find him long before he even got a hint of where Wormtail was. Everyone thought Wormtail was dead; Sirius was the only person actively looking for him, and he doubted Remus would keep his big disguise a secret. If he'd been smarter, he would have used a glamour charm on himself to hide both his human form and his Animagus one.

_No use crying over spilt potion, though,_ he told himself. _As long as I'm careful from now on, I'll be fine..._

He found a shady area next to an orchard where a group of children seemed to be playing tag, and he lay down under a tree, wanting a few hours' sleep before he moved on. He dozed for a little bit, unable to really fall asleep with the children making so much noise, so he settled for watching them for a while. After some time, he started to think they weren't actually playing tag at all; two boys, who looked like twins, were chasing a smaller boy—their brother maybe—while he tried desperately to escape. The smaller boy lost the older ones and dove behind some bushes not far from where Sirius hid. He turned to look at the boy and made a bit too much noise with the leaves he was lying on: the boy swung around to see what the noise had been and his eyes widened. It seemed, though, that the boy was much more afraid of his brothers than he was of Sirius; he put a finger to his lips, silently telling the dog to keep quiet. Sirius lay back down on the ground and looked out to the orchard—the twins were still searching for their brother.

"I saw him go this way!" one of the boys said in frustration. "He's here!"

"Well, I don't see him," the other said.

The twins looked around a bit more before deciding to give up for the time being. "Come on, we can go bother Percy until Ron comes home," one of them said. "He's gotta eat sometime, right?" After one final scan of the orchard, the twins left.

The boy in the bushes—Ron, Sirius told himself—waited a few moments to make absolutely certain the twins weren't coming back before relaxing and sitting against a tree trunk to look warily at Sirius. Dog and boy studied each other for a while, each wondering if they could trust the other. The boy looked vaguely familiar to Sirius, but he couldn't quite place the face—Azkaban had robbed him of most of his memories from before his arrest. After about ten minutes, the boy scooted forward on the ground cautiously.

"You're not mean, are you?" he asked quietly. Sirius wagged his tail in response. "You don't look mean..." The boy reached out a hand nervously and patted Sirius' hand. In an attempt to seem as harmless as possible, Sirius actually licked the boy's hand. He smiled. "I'm Ron," he said, "Ron Weasley."

Sirius' eyes widened a touch. _A Weasley... Well, the red hair and freckles should have given that away, _he thought.

"Those were my brothers, Fred and George," Ron told him with a look of disdain. "They like to play pranks on me and they were chasing me to throw a spider on me." Sirius inwardly snorted; that sounded like something he would have done to Regulus when they were kids. "I've got a lot of brothers, only one sister." Ron started telling Sirius all about his family, and the wizard began to think Ron couldn't have had many friends if he was talking to an animal he met in the forest so openly. As it turned out, there were only a few children in their village of Ottery St. Catchpole, and Ron wasn't really fond of any of them. He spent most of his time avoiding his twin brothers or watching his oldest brothers playing Quidditch. Their mother was very protective of all of them and their father loved Muggle inventions.

Sirius sighed at himself. Out of all the places he could have gone to in England, he had to find the one with an entire family of wizards.

Ron talked for hours about nothing in particular—broomsticks, Quidditch, comic books—and Sirius found he actually enjoyed the time; he hadn't been in close proximity to anyone in a long time and Ron wasn't the least bit afraid of him. He didn't dare even think about transforming back to human, though; Ron would have run back home to his parents in a flash.

Somewhere in the distance, a voice yelled something and Ron looked up, listening. He looked back to Sirius and sighed. "That's my Mum," he said, standing. "It's probably dinnertime. Well, I'll see you, then." With a final pat of the dog's head, Ron ran off across the orchard.

* * *

Mad-Eye was growing quite sick of his task of posing as Harry Potter. He'd made several mental notes since coming to Number Four, Privet Drive about things to tell Dumbledore about once he left—the topmost note being questioning the old Headmaster's sanity when he'd decided to place a wizard boy with this family. They were cruel, rude, and overall horrible people that didn't deserve the chance to raise the wizarding world's savior. How they could lock a small boy in a cupboard full of spiders and dust was beyond Mad-Eye. Often, he had visions of revenge that involved locking the entire Dursley family in their own cupboard under the stairs with those same spiders just to see how long they'd last.

Currently, Petunia was in the backyard, pretending to prune the flowers while she was actually listening to the neighbor couple arguing. Dudley was out terrorizing Privet Drive's other children and Vernon was at work. Somehow, the family had forgotten to set their nephew a chore list for the day, so Mad-Eye was in the cupboard under the stairs, relaxing for the first time since his arrival at Number Four. Just as he was closing his eyes for a quick nap, a bright light filled the dark cupboard. Mad-Eye knew what it was long before his eyes opened and he wasn't the least bit surprised to find Dumbledore's phoenix-patronus standing on the cot beside his feet.

"Alastor, the wards around Privet Drive have been restored—Black will not be able to come within one hundred yards of the Dursley home without alerting Ministry Aurors," the phoenix said in Dumbledore's voice. "You are free to leave at anytime. Please come to Hogwarts once you have left for an update on our friends in London." Mad-Eye knew he was referring to Lupin, Vance, and the Potter boy. "I do hope you have not left any permanent damage on the Dursley family." The phoenix seemed to wink—though Mad-Eye thought it was his own mind playing tricks on him—before disappearing and leaving the Auror in darkness once more.

"Petunia!" Vernon Dursley called out, arriving home from work just as loudly as always.

Mad-Eye grinned in the darkness. He would leave Number Four, Privet Drive, but not until he had a little revenge on the Dursleys.

* * *

Remus was awakened a few days later by Emmeline's near-hysterical laughter. He looked over at the bedside clock and raised an eyebrow—it wasn't even eight in the morning on a Saturday. When the laughter continued, Remus rolled out of bed and went out to the living room to see what the commotion was. He found the witch sitting on the sofa, beet red in the face as she read a piece of parchment.

"What's so funny?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

It seemed she was laughing far too hard to respond, so she held out the parchment—a letter, his mind registered—and continued to laugh. Remus chuckled at her for a moment before holding up the letter to read what it said. It was from Dumbledore and it informed them that Mad-Eye had been relieved of his duties of posing as Harry.

On an unrelated note, it said, Vernon Dursley had been unable to attend work for a few days due to a freak accident involving potted plants, a pair of shoes, and the cupboard under the stairs. The most coherent explanation received stated that Mr. Dursley had arrived home one evening to the shrieks and screams of his wife and son, claiming he hadn't heard a sound before he'd opened the front door. It had taken him several seconds for the scene to register in his mind—Mrs. Dursley and young Dudley were backed up against a wall, pinned there by a large, snarling potted plant while a pair of Mr. Dursley's work shoes dangled above them, snapping a set of razor sharp teeth frighteningly close to the tops of their heads. The moment Mr. Dursley had closed the door, the plant had turned towards him, saliva dripping from its smirking jaws. The only saving grace for the Dursley family had been their quick action of opening the door of the cupboard under the stairs and diving for safety. The family swore the moment they were all stuffed inside the cupboard, they heard snickering from without the door. By the time neighbors realized something was amiss with the family, all had gone back to normal, though all of Privet Drive was aware of what the Dursleys claimed had happened to them—rumor had it, they were packing up and moving as far from their neighborhood as possible.

Remus was grinning by the time he reached the bottom of Dumbledore's letter. He looked up at Emmeline's still red face, chuckling. "And people say Mad-Eye doesn't have a sense of humor..."


	4. Four

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Four_

Over the next few days, Sirius had remained in Ottery St. Catchpole, mostly because it was the first place where he'd found a person that actually liked having him around. Since their first meeting, Ron Weasley had come to find him every day right after breakfast, and had even managed to save the dog some food. Though Sirius knew he needed to move on and continue his search for Wormtail, he couldn't find it in himself to abandon a child who seemed so desperate for a friend. Every time he visited, Ron continued to pour his heart out to the black dog about his family. Sirius had a feeling Ron wouldn't be nearly as open about his family's lack of money if he'd thought he'd been talking to a human. For a five-year-old, Ron had a lot on his mind—mostly whether he would ever measure up to his older brothers' accomplishments. And though Sirius thought it a bit odd for a child so young to worry about such things, he listened to every word Ron spoke, and the boy repaid him by scratching that one spot behind his ears he could never get and feeding him every day.

One afternoon, while Ron was talking about his brother Percy, who apparently had a pet rat called Scabbers, Sirius found an even better way to repay Ron for his kindness than by just being a good listener. Fred and George were once again on the prowl for the youngest Weasley boy, and somehow, they'd discovered the little hideout Ron had built for himself. Both he and Sirius could hear the twins trampling through the woods and just as Ron was getting ready to run and hide, one of the twins had broken through the shrubs. Sirius stood up in front of Ron, growling and bearing his teeth, not actually preparing to attack the twins, but definitely frightening them. The twin in front had screamed in surprise and stumbled backwards a few steps, right into his brother, taking them both to the ground. Sirius began to bark loudly as the twins stumbled over one another, trying to stand and runaway—any of Sirius' old friends who knew what his barks meant would have known he was actually laughing at the two boys. After a moment of fighting to untangle limbs, the twins managed to get their footing and ran through the trees, yelling something about monsters.

Once Sirius had calmed his laughing a bit, he turned to look for Ron—the boy was doubled over, laughing hysterically.

"Thanks!" he managed to choke out. Ron's laughter faded after five minutes, thought his face was still deep red. "I've never seen them so scared!"

Sirius sat down, his tongue hanging out in a canine-grin.

Ron was now looking at the dog thoughtfully. "You need a name," he said suddenly. "Do you have one?"

Sirius replied with a single bark.

"Hmm..." Ron said, studying the dog. "How about Snuffles? You look like a Snuffles..."

Inwardly, Sirius rolled his eyes, and his annoyance at the chosen name must have shown on his face: Ron laughed a little. "Snuffles it is, then."

Sirius huffed resignedly and lay on the ground while Ron picked up one of his comic books to read. Far off in the distance, the pair heard thunder, and Ron looked up, trying to see the sky through the trees. "Looks like it's gonna rain, huh?" he asked the dog. "You can't stay in the rain all night; you'll get sick... Come on, you can stay in the broomshed tonight."

Pleased that he wouldn't be stuck in the rain all night, Sirius stood and followed Ron along the path that led to the Weasley home. Sirius mentally smiled when he laid eyes on the house: it was tall and crooked, not perfect by any means, but it seemed to fit Ron and his family exactly. Mostly for the boy's amusement, Sirius chased a few chickens in the driveway.

"Snuffles, shh!" Ron hissed when Sirius started barking at a chicken he'd run into an old boot. The boy was glancing warily at the house's windows. "We can't let Mum and Dad see you yet." Ron and the dog had arrived at the small shed, and Ron opened the door. "It's a bit dirty and there's a few spiders, but at least you'll be dry... Go on, get in." Sirius obeyed. "Tomorrow, I'll let you out and give you some food. Then maybe I'll give you a bath—you kinda smell—and I'll ask Mum if you can stay with us, okay?" Sirius barked quietly. "Bye, then."

The broomshed door closed and Sirius was in darkness. He found a corner to lie down in before curling up and falling asleep, just as the rain started to fall.

* * *

The same storm that was over Devon was in London, and Remus sat on the windowsill in the living room of his new flat watching the lightning. Emmeline had taken Harry out—in their glamour charms—to get Harry some new clothes. Since he'd come to London, the boy had grown a few inches; Remus attributed this to Harry being properly cared for and fed for the first time in years. Remus had opted to stay behind, mostly to give himself some time to think. He'd gotten one of his books from his cottage that consisted of custody information for orphaned children. He'd bought it only a month after Lily and James had been murdered, hoping to find something that would justify the Ministry handing custody of Harry to either him or Emmeline—needless to say, their attempts to properly raise Harry hadn't gotten very far.

_Until now that is, _Remus thought, a small smile forming on his face. _If there's been one good thing to come out of Sirius' escape, this is most definitely it._ And, they'd been told by Dumbledore, regardless of the fact that the wards around Privet Drive were now functioning correctly, Harry would continue to remain where he was. The reason given was that he was safer from Sirius with Emmeline and Remus, but Remus thought it was because the three of them were getting rather attached to one another, and Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to break them apart just yet.

Either way, Harry wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

But he knew that at some point, someone would suggest sending the boy back to his relatives, and Remus was now trying to find a way to keep Harry. While reading through different wizarding laws that probably hadn't been revised in centuries, he'd come across a rather interesting paragraph and thought it met Harry's circumstances pretty damn well. Parents who chose the caregiver for their child before their deaths could perform a spell on both the child and the caregiver so only that chosen person could take the child. If for some reason the chosen person was unable to care for the child following the deaths of said child's parents, the chosen person could temporarily handover custody to a person or people of his choosing. The moment the original chosen person was able to care for the child again, any other spells that bound the child to another caregiver would be broken. And while it said nothing about the original caregiver going to prison or about a blood protection put in place by a mother's sacrifice, Remus could most definitely picture James and Sirius discussing something like this late at night, while Lily was in bed. And he could also see his two old friends sneaking up to Harry's nursery and performing a charm without Lily's knowledge.

Unfortunately, there was no sure way to know whether James and Sirius had performed the charm on Harry without complicated spells that would exhaust the boy. And if it had been done, Remus and Emmeline's job of keeping Harry safe had become that much more difficult.

The door of the flat opened, startling Remus a bit as he broke out of his thoughts and turned to Emmeline and Harry, both soaking wet, but quite happy. It wasn't often that Remus had a chance to see the two of them in their glamour charms, but he took a moment to really see them. Harry's glamour was one that didn't look like him even a bit: shoulder-length blond hair, dark blue eyes, his glasses had been disillusioned, and he had a more of a fuller body type than normal. Emmeline's glamour looked more like Harry's than Remus' did—her blonde hair was a little shorter than she normally wore her hair, but her eyes matched Harry's perfectly, and she was hardly recognizable, even to people she'd known most of her life. Remus' hair in his glamour was darkened several shades and shaped in a style he never would have worn in his day-to-day life: it had been Emmeline's idea to spike the short hair, and Remus had glared at her with brown eyes through the entire time that she'd styled it. Each of them had voice changing charms and several other spells to throw off anyone who may have been searching for them; Remus honestly couldn't see how Sirius could possibly be certain he'd located his former friends and godson if he began looking for them.

"Look what I got, Remus!" Harry said, crossing the living room. His glamour charm began to wear off the further into the flat he got, and Remus barely held back a chuckle as he watched the change. "Emmeline got me a dragon and she said you could make it fly!"

Harry took said dragon out of the bag he was carrying. It didn't look anything like the dragons Remus had seen in books, but for a Muggle child, it would do. Remus took the stuffed animal and looked closer, finding a smile had been sewn onto its mouth. He laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen a dragon smiling," he said. "How about you, Em?'

Emmeline rolled her eyes, her own glamour charm wearing off. "I bet they smile right before they eat you," she said, tickling Harry's ribs and earning a giggle. "Go take off your shoes, Harry, and Remus and I will get dinner started."

"Okay," Harry said, running towards his bedroom.

The witch watched him leave, fell into an armchair exhaustedly. "I have never seen a child with that much bloody energy in my entire life," she said flatly. "He never tires out, no matter what you do."

Remus laughed again and sat on the sofa. "You've fought Death Eaters and a five-year-old boy is defeating you? I'm disappointed."

She glared at him. "Next time, you take him out shopping, then, if you're so brilliant, and then we'll critique your abilities to handle him."

"You're on," he said with a grin. "Come on, you promised the ball of energy you'd feed him." He went over and pulled Emmeline out of her chair, dragging her to the kitchen. "After dinner, I'll see if I can get him to wind down a bit."

"If you do that, you'll be a bloody miracle worker..."

* * *

Harry, it seemed, was much more like his father than Remus had previously realized. This meant that after a good, filling meal, and a game of chase-the-charmed-flying-dragon-around-the-flat, the child was passing out on the living room floor in exhaustion. Remus sat in the armchair, drinking his coffee in a superior sort of way, glancing occasionally between Harry and Emmeline. The witch looked back at him rather suspiciously as though wondering what spell or potion Remus had used on the child. When questioned about his methods, Remus only chuckled.

"You obviously didn't know James all that well," he said quietly, not wanting to wake Harry. "The best way to get him to fall asleep was to feed him a big meal and challenge him to a Quidditch game. Nothing ever worked nearly that well, not even Pomfrey's sleeping potions. Harry's the exact same way, it would seem."

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "I still say you slipped something into his mashed potatoes..." She stood up and went over to the boy, picking him up carefully, trying to keep the jostling to a minimum. "Help me put him to bed and maybe I'll consider letting you have some of the pie we picked up today..."

Remus stood, chuckling. "Oh, I will get pie... Don't you have any doubts about that, my dear."

He could see her eyes rolling as they went to Harry's bedroom.

* * *

The next day, the rain was still pouring quite heavily, forcing Molly Weasley to reluctantly keep all her children indoors. Most of them had found ways to entertain themselves—Bill and Charlie had found a Quidditch match on the wireless; Percy was reading something to Ginny; and Fred and George seemed to be plotting, as usual. Ron seemed to be the only one who couldn't find any way to occupy his time. He'd already spent most of his morning by the sitting room window, staring outside into the storm. Every time Molly had attempted to divert her youngest son's attention, he only sighed and went back to watching whatever he'd found so captivating. Usually Molly was able to read her children and their moods fairly easily, but Ron's current mood was rather confusing. He seemed sad, anxious, and bored at the same time. And this was nothing like his normal behavior; on a rainy day like this one, he'd either force his brothers to include him on whatever they were doing or he'd be in the kitchen with his mother, helping her cook.

But if she really thought about it, Ron's mood lately had been a little odd. Instead of begging Bill and Charlie to let him fly with them, he went off on his own more often. Ron had always been kind of a loner, though—there weren't any boys his age to play with—and Molly knew that what her son needed most was his own friend to keep him occupied. The only problem was that any children Ron may have become friends with were Muggles, and Ron was so used to not having to hide his family's magical abilities that it just couldn't be allowed until he was a bit older. But if the past few years were any indication Ron wouldn't have the chance to make friends until he was in Hogwarts.

...

Sirius was becoming rather bored with the Weasleys' broomshed. He'd expected Ron to show up hours ago, but finally realized that there was no way any sensible mother would allow her children out in this storm. With this fact firmly implanted in his mind, Sirius was now considering alternate method of escaping the shed. He wouldn't have minded it much if it hadn't been for the fact that the water level within the shed seemed to have risen a few inches in the last few hours alone. By early afternoon, the rain finally seemed to slow down a bit, giving Sirius a semi-clear view of the Weasley home through the high windows of the shed—for a moment, he thought he saw one of the twins looking back at him before said twin's eyes widened and he disappeared from the window. A few hours later—Sirius had lost track of time—the rain had picked up again and it wasn't long before all the lights in the Weasley house were being turned off for the night.

Just as he was beginning to give up for the night, he heard splatters through the mud coming towards the shed, and moments later the door was opening, revealing Ron in a pair of red striped pajamas and old shoes that looked way too big to actually belong to him.

"Hey, Snuffles," Ron said, holding an umbrella above his head. "Sorry I couldn't come earlier, but Mum wouldn't let us leave the house. I saved you some dinner—Mum made roast beef—but it's up in my room. You can sleep there tonight as long as you keep quiet and go under my bed. And I got a few towels to dry you off a bit..."

The black dog gratefully followed the boy through the muddy driveway to a backdoor of the house. Before letting him into the kitchen, Ron cleaned each one of his paws with a towel. Once inside, Sirius inhaled deeply, the scents of the house making him feel very comfortable. He could smell freshly baked biscuits, the dinner Molly Weasley had made for her family, as well as all the scents of the Weasleys themselves. There was one in particular that stopped Sirius in his tracks. Mingled with everything else he smelled, he couldn't quite make out its significance or why it triggered such a wide range of emotions. Unfortunately he didn't have the time to stop and investigate; Ron was urging him on through the house, telling him every couple of steps to keep quiet or else his mum would hear.

The further up the crooked staircase they went, the stronger the scent became. Sirius had a strong feeling he should have known what it was, and every time he came to the verge of naming it, it slipped away from him. Finally, they'd made it to Ron's room on the topmost floor of the house, and according to the boy, right below the ghoul in the attic.

"But don't be scared by him," Ron told the dog, closing his bedroom door and turning on a lantern. "He just likes to make loads of noise."

Sirius' eyes took a minute to adjust—the moment Ron had turned on the lights, they'd been invaded by a vast amount of orange. He eventually realized it hadn't been his eyes: Ron had decorated his room in Chudley Cannons merchandise.

"Here you go, Snuffles," Ron said, opening a drawer in his wardrobe and pulling out a large plate of meat, potatoes, and vegetables. "You've got to eat quick so I can get the plate back downstairs before Mum misses it..."

Sirius was happy to oblige. As he ate, he was careful not to make a mess of himself or of the floor Ron had placed his pate on. Just as he was finishing up, he saw Ron had built him a makeshift bed right under his own bed. "You gotta sleep down there," Ron said with an apologetic shrug. "At least for now, until I ask Mum about you."

Sirius whuffed quietly and obediently crawled under the bed, surprised at how much room he actually had to stretch out—one of Ron's parents must have enlarged the space for storage. While Ron took the dog's empty plate downstairs to put away, Sirius poked his head out from under the bed and looked around some more. This wasn't quite how he'd planned to spend his time on the run from the Ministry, but it was safer than wandering around London where anyone could see him. Besides, with the Weasleys being a wizarding family, Sirius would have no trouble keeping an eye on the news. And if he stayed in hiding long enough, there might even be a chance that the Ministry would cut back on their searches for him...

Ron returned a few minutes later, said a very tired goodnight, blew out the lantern, and before another word could be spoken, both boy and dog were sleeping peacefully.

* * *

Sirius woke quite suddenly the next morning. It was a moment or two before his brain was awake enough to realize that the high-pitched squeals he was hearing belonged to a woman, and it took a bit longer than that before the squeals began to represent actual words. Above him, the child in the bed began moving around, obviously also startled out of his sleep by the woman's screams. The bedspread that hid Sirius from the open bedroom lifted up and Ron's upside down face was now visible.

"Sounds like the twins are using Ginny for their stupid experiments again," the boy said wearily. "You better stay here; Mum doesn't sound likes she's in the mood for new pets yet." The bedspread dropped in front of Sirius again and the dog could hear the boy getting out of bed and preparing for breakfast.

* * *

When he arrived in the kitchen, Ron saw exactly why his mother was yelling at Fred and George, and he was quite tempted to turn around and go back upstairs. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ginny, and their father were all eating their breakfasts, trying to block out the twins once again landing themselves in trouble. What made Ron want to turn around and go back to his room was the fact that he knew the reason their mother was so angry hadn't been caused by the twins. Somehow, Ron had missed a lot of dirt when he'd let Snuffles inside last night, and it seemed his mum believed without a doubt that her twins had been up to no good at some point during the night while the rest of the family had been asleep.

Once their mother had run out of breath from her rant, the twins sat at the table with identical mutinous looks on their faces—Ron was careful to keep his eyes averted from the twins' as the family ate breakfast. After the table had been cleared and their father left for work, all the children except Fred and George were allowed to go play—their punishment was to degnome the entire garden by themselves. No matter how many times they tried to say they hadn't done anything, their mother continued to not believe them. As they left through the backdoor, Ron decided it would probably be best if the twins never found out who had actually tracked the mud inside. When the house was mostly empty—Bill and Charlie were heading out to play Quidditch, promising to check in with their mother every few hours (there was an escaped convict on the loose, after all); Ginny stayed in the kitchen to play with her dolls; and Percy had gone up to lock himself in his room with his books—Ron snuck a stack of toast and some sausages to take Snuffles and headed back upstairs.

* * *

Back in London, Harry and Remus were watching cartoons. Emmeline had gone back to her job in the Ministry—after nearly a month of personal time, she'd decided it was time to face her ever-growing inbox. The rain had finally stopped and Remus was considering taking Harry out for the day. He'd wanted to head to Diagon Alley for some time, hoping to pick up a few books from Flourish and Blotts. When asked, if he would be interested, Harry's eyes had lit up with excitement. He'd heard all about Diagon Alley and the strange things that could be found there. So around noon, the two of them dressed before Remus placed glamour charms over the both of them. Before leaving the flat, Remus made certain Harry remembered their story.

"I'm Jamie Evans," Harry said carefully, "and you're my daddy."

Remus smiled at him. "Very good." He picked the child up, exited the flat, and locking it with wandless magic before heading out. After a few blocks, Remus placed Harry on his shoulders, making it much easier to maneuver their way through all the people on the sidewalk.

The wizard couldn't help but smile when the Leaky Cauldron came into view. No matter how many times he'd come to Diagon Alley in his lifetime, the place never bored him. After an automatic—and slightly paranoia-induced—scan of the pub to see if he recognized anyone, Remus nodded hello to Tom the barkeep, confident that the other man had no idea who Remus and Harry were, and headed out to the courtyard. He could almost see Harry's questioning gaze as he stood in front of the brick wall and counted three-up and two-across. He tapped the brick that would open Diagon Alley up for them and stood back so Harry could get the full view of it.

"Wow..." the child on his shoulders whispered in amazement as an archway began to appear, showing the entire alley.

Remus chuckled a little and stepped through, pleased to be back in the magical world.

As they walked, Remus noticed that not one person gave them a second glance. This was mostly due to Emmeline's idea to add a charm to their glamours that made people forget they'd ever been seen. This charm disappeared only when the "magic word" was spoken. Harry's was the only one that remained permanent until he was within the safety of the flat, no matter what he said.

"Can we go to Gringotts?" Harry asked rather excitedly.

Remus grinned and shook his head. There weren't many children who thought fun included a visit to the bank. "I suppose," he said. "We will need a bit of gold today, won't we?"

"Yup," Harry said. Though he couldn't see the boy, Remus was pretty certain he was looking all around, taking everything in.

They climbed the white stone steps and Remus reached up to take Harry off his shoulders before going inside. "Hold on to my hand, Jamie," he said quietly, passing by the goblins who stood guard and held the doors open. He got the sudden feeling that those goblins knew exactly who they were. This didn't worry Remus in the least, though; goblins didn't care who you were, so long as you didn't try stealing from them.

They waited in line for a few minutes, and every so often, Remus glanced down at Harry—he was staring around the bank at all the different wizards, goblins, and a hag with his mouth slightly open. When it was their turn, Remus stepped up to the tall counter and Harry let go of his hand, now trying to pull himself up to see over. Remus chuckled and lifted him up, setting on top of the counter. The goblin raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment.

"I just need to convert Muggle money into gold, please," Remus said politely to the goblin. He pulled out his wallet and took a few bills from it, passing them to the goblin. After a few tests to make certain the money hadn't been counterfeited, the goblin—Bob, his nameplate said—handed Remus a handful of gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knuts. With a smile, Remus pocketed the coins Harry hadn't taken to examine, said thank you to Bob the Goblin, and picked up the boy again to leave.

"Where now?" Harry asked when they were back in the bright sunshine in Diagon Alley. "Can we go see the magic animals?"

_So not like James,_ Remus thought with an inward smirk. If his old friend had been present, they would have already been inside Quality Quidditch Supplies or Gambol and Japes Joke Shop. "For a bit," Remus told the boy. "Then I would like to visit the bookshop, and afterwards, we might go for ice cream at Florean Fortescue's." He was almost certain Harry hadn't heard anything after "for a bit"; Remus was now being dragged by the hand down the alley while Harry searched for the Magical Menagerie.

During the hour they spent looking at the different animals, Harry had strayed off to look at the bunnies that turned themselves into top hats, and Remus, pretending to be interested in a book on the care of cornish pixies, overheard a conversation between another customer and the shopkeeper regarding Sirius. Apparently, the dementors of Azkaban were starting to get restless—they'd never had a prisoner escape under their watch and they wanted Sirius back. The Minister of Magic, who probably feared the vile creatures as much as the rest of the world, had been very reluctant to let them loose in England to search for him, but as more time went on without any hints of Sirius' whereabouts, it seemed she was beginning to believe there was no other choice: early next week, a group of dementors would be allowed to leave their posts to do their own searching, and Bagnold had even given them permission to Kiss Sirius when he was found.

Remus wasn't quite sure how he felt about this. On one hand, dementors were the foulest of beings ever created and he'd always thought it rather cruel to allow them around humans, no matter what they'd done. During the war against Voldemort, the dementors had turned on the Ministry, siding with the Dark Lord after he'd promised all the human souls they could ever want. Only days after Voldemort's fall, the dementors had returned to their posts as the wizard prison as though Voldemort had never existed. The Ministry's alliance with dementors had always boggled Remus' mind and he knew that if given the chance again, the dementors would do the exact same thing.

On the other hand, what Sirius had done was heinous. Still, though, did he actually deserve to lose his soul because of it? Wouldn't a much more fitting punishment be one where he was forced to relive what he'd done every time he breathed until his dying day?

"Hey, Dad, look at this!" said a voice somewhere behind Remus. Only when someone tugged at his shirt did Remus realize Harry was trying to get his attention. The boy had found a baby turtle that did somersaults in the palm of his hand. "Can I get him?"

Remus smiled. "Pets are a big responsibility..."

"I know, but I promise I'll take real good care of him," Harry replied with a pair of puppy dog eyes Remus couldn't say no to. They were the same eyes James had used to charm his way out of several detentions during Hogwarts.

When the baby turtle stuck his head out of its shell and seemed to give them the same look, Remus laughed and nodded. "All right... But we've got to get him a small tank and food..."

Harry had already begun cheering and turned around to find things his new turtle would need. With the help of the shopkeeper, by the time they'd finally left, Remus' money pouch was much lighter than it had been, and after a quick stop at the bookshop, he and Harry had arrived at Florean Fortescue's—both had ordered large bowls of ice cream.

"I'm gonna name him Bruce," Harry said suddenly, alternating his attention from his ice cream to the turtle.

Remus raised an eyebrow, swallowing a bite of double chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. "Why Bruce?"

Harry shrugged one shoulder. "It's just a good name for him," he responded simply.

The wizard chuckled and went back to his dessert. Once they'd both finished, and Remus had cleaned the mess Harry had made on his face, the two of them began to make their way back to the flat. Remus had carefully transfigured their Diagon Alley purchases to make them resemble something a Muggle wouldn't raise an eyebrow at. When they arrived home, Emmeline was waiting for them in the kitchen, watching them enter with her own raised eyebrow.

"And just where have you two been?" she asked, looking from Harry's beaming face to Remus.

"Diagon Alley," Remus said, sitting beside her.

Harry ran up to her and showed her his new pet. "Look what Remus got me!"

Emmeline looked at the wizard. "A turtle?"

He shrugged. "He does somersaults... Tell me you could pass that up. And his name is Bruce."

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "Bruce, huh? Well, go put Bruce in your room, Harry, and go ahead and take your bath..."

Harry ran off, leaving the two adults alone. Remus took a good look at his friend; she looked more stressed than she had when she'd left that morning, and she seemed to be considering how to tell him something. "What?" he asked.

She hesitated. "I heard some things at work today," she said slowly and quietly. "And I think know why the wards on Privet Drive were broken."

"Why?"

"Well, before Lily and James died, Lily went to her sister's house to talk to her. She told me about it afterwards and I didn't think anything of it—she didn't really go into details about what they talked about. Apparently, Lily told Petunia who was to take care of Harry if she and James were killed and Petunia agreed—I think Lily may have even done some sort of charm to ensure that this happened. The person they discussed was to be number one on the list to get custody of Harry. If that person couldn't do it for some reason, Harry would go to Petunia, but once that person was able again, any charms that tied Harry to the Dursleys would be cancelled," she said. "I'd have to talk to Dumbledore to know for certain, but I really think that is what happened."

Remus stared at her. Hadn't he been thinking the same exact thing just yesterday? "How could you have found this out?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," she responded. "He came to me and said he'd been looking through the files from the murders, and he'd found something odd on the report that showed what magic had been cast in James' and Lily's house that night. Lily didn't even have time to do any sort of protection charms on Harry—blood or otherwise. The magic was performed _after_ Voldemort killed her. Whatever Lily and Petunia did that day, it went into effect the moment Lily stopped breathing, and that was what saved Harry."

The wizard nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. He'd always been under the impression that it had been Lily's sacrifice for Harry that had saved the boy from Voldemort. And though that may still be a factor, there was much more that needed to be known. Remus was almost certain who Lily would have entrusted the life and safety of her only son to, but there was only one way to know for sure. He looked up at Emmeline and sighed. "I think we need to go to Privet Drive and have a talk with Petunia..."


	5. Five

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Five_

Ron Weasley was not happy. His mother had told him after dinner that he'd been too antisocial over the last few days, so he was to play with his siblings for a few hours rather than stay up in his room all night. When he'd pointed out that Percy had done that exact thing for years, his mother had shooed him away, stating she had cleaning to do. So now Ron was stuck in the sitting room playing chess with Charlie, and Snuffles was all alone upstairs. What made it worse was that his mother had decided to clean her children's bedrooms, and she was quickly making her way to Ron's. He'd tried to sneak the big black dog outdoors a few times during the day, but every time he tried, his mother poked her head around every corner. Personally, Ron blamed the twins for this: they'd been sneaking around since they started walking, and their mother was becoming more vigilant of tiptoeing children every day.

He wasn't quite sure how to approach his parents about keeping Snuffles. Certainly, it would be best to go to them with the truth—he'd found a dog, the dog was really nice, and he wanted to keep him—but he didn't want his parents to come back with how they couldn't afford a new pet.

Just as he was trying to think of a way he could argue this very valid point, his mother yelled out from the top of the staircase: "Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Ron gulped and looked around, instinctively searching for the nearest exit. He didn't have time to escape, though; his mother had already spotted him. "How many times have I told you not to eat in your bedroom?" she asked, holding up the plate Ron had used to take Snuffles his lunch. "If you've led any bugs into this house you'll be sleeping in the broomshed for a week!"

Ron led out a huge breath and inwardly smiled. "Sorry, Mum," he said, knowing she didn't mean her threat in the slightest. "Forgot. I won't do it again."

She pursed her lips as she passed her children on her way to the kitchen. "Just see that you don't..."

His siblings were giving him odd looks, each of them silently wondering why little Ronniekins wasn't more afraid of being punished. But really, Ron thought, his mother discovering a plate in his room was the least of his worries right now.

* * *

Sirius had huddled himself in the furthest corner under Ron's bed when the boy's mother had come in to clean. Once or twice he'd been certain he'd been discovered: Molly Weasley had reached under the bed for stray socks and underwear, and just missed the dog by inches. While he didn't know Molly personally, he had known her younger twin brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and they'd told horror stories of their sister's temper when she'd been pushed to the brink. To say the least, Sirius was not eager for her to discover him hiding under her son's bed, whether in Animagus form or not. Of course there was no way for the Weasleys to know who he actually was, so he was mostly safe. He'd just have to hope Molly and Arthur weren't the suspicious types that tested everything to make sure it was what it seemed to be.

While Sirius was really beginning to enjoy being around Ron, his mind had been working in overtime for days—that scent that he'd smelled when he'd first come here was getting stronger and no matter how hard he tried to pinpoint it, the scent continued to elude him. It had, however, triggered very vague memories along with the accompanying nearly overpowering feeling of anger: mostly they were thoughts of James. This confused Sirius even more than the scent itself; James had never known the Weasleys on a personal level as far as Sirius knew, so really, there were hardly any ties between them.

But once again, the more he tried to explore this train of thought, the further he was pushed back from any sort of explanations. He thought of something Remus had told him ages ago: when trying to remember something that's been eating away at you, the best thing to do was to think about something totally unrelated, to forget about that nagging thought, and eventually an answer would supply itself. But doing this would require a type of long-term patience that Sirius had never possessed; he wanted his answers right then and there, and something in the back of his mind kept telling him this was the most important thing in the world to figure out. But whether it was due to his time with the dementors or just a plain old bad memory, Sirius just couldn't figure it out. As Molly left the bedroom and started yelling at Ron for something, the dog curled up contently and fell asleep.

* * *

On an unseasonably cool day in late August, Remus and Emmeline were preparing themselves and Harry for an outing. Personally, Remus thought the three of them could do without this particular day out, but Emmeline was adamant about it. They were going to Privet Dive to have a talk with Petunia about what she and her sister had discussed years ago in terms of whom Harry was to live with if his parents died. When informed of the plan to go see his aunt, Harry had gotten very quiet and hardly looked at either adult. Remus had to sit down beside him and tell him he wasn't going back to stay at Privet Drive today; when they left the Dursleys' home, Remus promised the boy, he would be with them. After that conversation, Harry was a bit more cheerful and willing to visit his relatives.

Today was the first time they'd left the flat without their glamour charms; they needed Petunia to know exactly who they were and if they'd worn the usual charms, she wouldn't even know they were there for more than two seconds.

"I really don't want to do this," Remus said to Emmeline as Harry pulled on his shoes. "She's not going to tell us anything."

"Leave that to me," Emmeline said, waving off his concerns. "I may not have known Petunia as well as I knew Lily, but I know which buttons to push, and once I have, Petunia will be an open book for us."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I even want to know the lengths you'll go to for this?"

Instead of answering, she gave him a grin that scared him slightly.

"I'm ready!" Harry announced. "Can I take Bruce?"

"It'd probably be better if you didn't, kiddo," Emmeline said. "Bruce will be fine, though; he probably needs some rest from you anyway."

Harry shrugged and pulled on the jacket Remus handed him.

"Are we Apparating?" Remus asked.

Emmeline nodded. "The closest we can get to Number Four is Arabella's house, so we'll go there and walk to Petunia."

Remus picked Harry up and looked around, trying to come up with any reasons to call this off—Emmeline had Disapparated before he could come up with even one. He sighed. "All right, Harry, hold on tight," he said. The two of them disappeared from the flat and reappeared in the backyard belonging to Arabella Figg. She and Emmeline were waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," Emmeline said teasingly.

Remus rolled his eyes and walked over to the women. "How are you, Arabella?"

"Been worse," the woman said, looking at Harry. The boy had suddenly gotten shy; his face was buried in Remus' shoulder. "You'll want to do what you need to do quickly; Vernon's gone to work, and that little pig Dudley is off terrorizing the neighborhood animals." She turned around and looked to the porch where one of her many cats looked as though it'd been recently thrown in water. "Tibbles got him in the end, though," Arabella said. "Scratched his face up pretty good..."

Remus wasn't sure whether to smile at this or not. He'd never known Arabella to be a vindictive woman, but she seemed genuinely pleased that one of her cats had attacked the Dursleys' son. "Well, we'll come back and see you before we leave."

Arabella gave him a look that seemed to promise certain pain if they didn't. After a temporary goodbye, Emmeline led the way from the backyard to the neighborhood. Harry's face remained in the crook of Remus' neck the entire time they walked to Number Four, Privet Drive, and not even Emmeline teasing him about his room being a mess could change it. They approached the Dursley home slowly, wanting to get this over with, but also not wanting to have to do it at all. Emmeline took a deep breath, glanced at Remus, and walked purposefully up the front walk to the door. Remus rubbed Harry's back reassuringly and followed. By the time they'd reached the front door, Emmeline had already rung the doorbell.

_No turning back now..._ a sinister part of his mind told him. Remus quickly banished it at as they heard Petunia call out that she'd be right there. In his arms, Harry had tensed considerably as the door opened—Remus began whispering comforting words to him, but he doubted Harry heard anything he said. It seemed to take ages for the door to open and for Petunia Dursley to set eyes on her visitors. No one said anything for the longest time; Petunia's mind seemed to be busy trying to place the people in front of her and only seemed to realize who they were when she set eyes on the back of Harry's scruffy head of hair. She looked from Emmeline and Remus a few times, anger and horror and several other emotions passing over her face.

"What do you people want?" she asked harshly, trying to look around them as though wondering if anyone had seen them. "You can keep the boy, if that's what you're here for."

Emmeline raised a pleasant eyebrow. "Well, Harry is partially why were here, but we've already decided we're keeping him, so you don't have to worry about that." This sentence seemed to be directed mostly at Harry, and it had the desired effect Remus thought Emmeline was hoping for: Harry began to relax a little. "We've come to talk to you about Lily and a discussion the two of you had some time ago."

"And why would you think I would possibly _want _to talk to you about anything?" Petunia asked snootily.

"Because if you don't," Emmeline responded, "you'll be breaking your promise to your baby sister."

Remus expected Petunia to slam the door in their faces. He hadn't expected her to take a step back as though she'd been struck in the chest, nor had he expected to see hurt in her eyes. Very reluctantly, Petunia nodded. "Get in, then, if you must," she said, suddenly back to her rude self. Before shutting the door, she took a quick look around the neighborhood to make sure no one had seen Remus, Emmeline, and Harry enter her home. "In here; I've just cleaned the kitchen." She led them into the sitting room and sat in the furthest chair from them. Emmeline sat on the sofa just as she would have in London where she was actually welcome. After a few seconds, Remus sat down with Harry. The boy removed his head from the wizard's neck, glanced quickly at his aunt, and buried it in Remus' shirt.

Remus had decided early on that he would let Emmeline do the talking initially. He was more curious as to how she would get anything out of Petunia, anyway. So when Petunia looked between him and Emmeline again, he also glanced at his friend; she was biding her time, looking around the house as though they'd been invited rather than having practically barged in.

"What do you want to know?" Petunia asked after about five minutes of this, seeming to hope to get rid of the three of them quickly.

"What did you and Lily talk about before she died?" Emmeline asked bluntly.

Petunia pursed her lips and glanced at Harry. "She wanted to make arrangements for the boy—"

"His name is Harry," Emmeline interrupted coldly. Remus inwardly smiled.

The Muggle woman's eyes narrowed. "And she said that if the person they wanted to take care of him couldn't, he would come to my family."

"Who did she want to take care of Harry?"

"Some friend of theirs," she said dismissively. "Harry's godfather, I think she said."

_Well, that confirms that,_ Remus thought flatly.

"She did mention some sort of secret," Petunia continued, her brow furrowing. To Remus, it looked as though she was actually trying to remember something to help them. "Lily said she wouldn't see me for some time and if she died, the person who knew the secret would be to blame."

"They went into hiding under a charm," Emmeline said automatically. "The person who performed the charm would have been their Secret-Keeper. Did she say anything about the person who knew the secret?"

"Only that she wasn't certain it was the best choice," Petunia said. "She seemed rather unsure of whether to trust this person."

Remus and Emmeline exchanged a glance. So Lily didn't trust Sirius to keep them safe. Remus could almost see her arguing with James about whether Sirius could be trusted with the secret of their family's location. Of course, James would have taken Sirius' side; he never could have believed his best friend in the world would have betrayed him.

"Did she say anything else?" Emmeline asked.

Petunia sighed and thought. "She did say one thing..." she said slowly. "Something about Harry's godfather not being the person who was holding the secret. I tried to get her to tell me more, but she wouldn't. She said it was safer for my family if she didn't tell me. Personally, I don't think she trusted me..."

Remus and Emmeline watched Petunia for a few moments and briefly said sadness in her eyes. "If she hadn't trusted you," Emmeline said quietly, "she never would have come to you." Petunia looked away. Emmeline sighed and looked at Remus. As he opened his mouth to ask a question, the front door opened and a boy entered, calling out to his mother that he and his friend were hungry.

"It's time for you to leave," Petunia said, standing suddenly. She'd gone back to not caring for her sister in the least—Remus had expected this, but he was still rather stunned. "I've told you what you wanted to know."

"Indeed you have," Remus said quietly, trying to manage a smile through his confusion. "Thank you for your time."

Petunia ushered them out of the house rather quickly and slammed the door behind them.

* * *

Later that night, Remus sat in the sitting room alone in the dark, thinking. Petunia really hadn't told them anything they hadn't already figured out—Sirius was to be given custody of Harry if the boy's parents were killed—but she'd also given them a bit more to think about. The one statement that had been going through Remus' mind continuously was the one about Harry's godfather not being the one holding the secret. His mind had been trying to reason with him, telling him that Petunia had somehow gotten her information crossed—Sirius had been Secret-Keeper, everyone knew that. But there was another part of him that knew that a Muggle couldn't have spoken so accurately about the Fidelius Charm, whether they knew what they were saying or not.

_But if Sirius wasn't Secret-Keeper_, he asked himself, _who could James have possibly trusted enough to keep his family? _

The obvious suspects were those in the Order of the Phoenix. While James and Lily liked most of the Order, they were never close enough to any of them to entrust them with something so important. And while he was thinking of who the Potters could have trusted, he was also thinking about who could have betrayed them to Voldemort. If Sirius hadn't been Secret-Keeper, then he couldn't have been the one to hand them over to the Dark Lord. Even if he'd been told the Potters' location, he couldn't tell anyone else; that was one of the advantages to the Fidelius Charm, after all.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" said a voice from behind him.

He looked over and found Emmeline in her pajamas, looking exhausted. He shook his head. "No, my mind is going a mile a minute..." He scooted over a bit so she could sit beside him. "When did we go from keeping Harry safe from Sirius to detective work on whether Sirius was Secret-Keeper or not?

She chuckled and pulled his arm around her shoulder. "Couldn't tell you, Lupin," she said, resting her head on his chest. He smiled a bit and rubbed her arm. "But if you ask me, Petunia seemed to be genuinely trying to help us... Well, before her pig of a son barged in..."

"I was rather surprised by that," Remus admitted. "From what I knew of Petunia and Lily's relationship, Petunia was never all that fond of her once she'd gone to Hogwarts."

Emmeline shrugged a little. "She was jealous of Lily. There were times when they could actually talk to one another, even during Hogwarts, and Petunia was perfectly nice to her. But there were other times when Lily would write me over summer holidays, telling me how horribly Petunia was treating her. It only got worse when Petunia met Vernon."

"I don't think I've ever had the privilege of meeting Vernon..." Remus said.

"Count yourself lucky for that," Emmeline said darkly. "I suppose you could compare Vernon's thoughts on witches and wizards to Slytherin's views on Gryffindor and vice versa. There aren't any real reasons for him to hate us, but he just does, and nothing will change that."

"So what do you think about what Petunia said about Sirius not being Secret-Keeper?"

Emmeline sighed. "I don't know," she said. "The last time I saw Lily, right before they were doing the charm, she told me it would be Sirius. And I've always been able to tell when she was lying—she wasn't lying."

"Maybe when you saw her, she still believed it would be Sirius," Remus said. "There's always the possibility that they switched without anybody knowing."

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "But who would they have switched to?"

"I was trying to figure that out before you came out here," Remus told her. "And I honestly don't know. I was never approached about it; Sirius was convinced I was the spy, so he would have tried to convince James of that as well..."

"What about Peter?"

Remus' eyebrows shot up. "Peter?" he asked her, feeling laughter bubble up from the pit of his stomach. "There is absolutely no way James would have let Peter be Secret-Keeper. Yes, he was our friend, and we loved him, but he wasn't the type of person you wanted guarding your life and the life of your family. He couldn't even keep pranks a secret in school."

She shrugged again. "Didn't Petunia say Lily didn't seem all that trusting of who they'd chosen? I can't honestly see her thinking that about Sirius; she was as close to him as I was. He was like a brother to her."

"Regardless," Remus said. "Peter Pettigrew was not Secret-Keeper. He was afraid of the dark; if he'd been Secret-Keeper, he would have had to have been the one to report to Voldemort, and that is just not a possibility. Peter wet himself every time someone said Voldemort's name—imagine him trying to face Voldemort and give him details on what his friends were up to. While I loved Peter, he would have been stuttering and squeaking so horribly that Voldemort would have killed him just to shut him up."

"Well, then, you come up with a suggestion," Emmeline huffed. "It wasn't you or me, we know that. What other friends did they have?"

Remus thought hard. He knew the answer to her question, but he wasn't quite prepared to answer it; he knew his answer would point them back at either Peter or Sirius, one of whom hadn't even been brave enough to step ten feet into the Forbidden Forest, and the other, they had practically been told by Petunia, hadn't been Secret-Keeper at all. "None," he said hoarsely. "We were their only real friends..."

After some time of sitting in the dark together, trying to think of an explanation that made any sort of sense, Emmeline yawned and sat up, suggesting that they get some sleep—Harry would only sleep for a few more hours, and they'd both learned early to sleep as long as they could before dealing with him. The two friends said goodnight to one another and went to their bedrooms. Remus lay in bed for another hour or so, trying to clear his mind enough to reason with himself. When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were full of jumbled pictures and sounds that had him waking up every half an hour, covered in cold sweat and panting. But every time he tried to make sense of the dreams, he forgot every detail of them.

* * *

It wasn't until 1 September that Sirius got a chance to explore the Burrow and the mysterious scent had been teasing his brain for so long. He was woken early by Ron as the boy stomped into the bedroom, grumbling about having to go all the way to London to see his two oldest brothers off to Hogwarts. He'd told the dog that a window in the kitchen would be left open, and that this would be the perfect time to sneak out, and Ron would come find him when he and his family got home. So Sirius waited and listened for the noise in the house to grow silent and for the car that had just started in the driveway to get far enough away that he was certain the Weasleys weren't going to return for some time.

Ron had left his bedroom door cracked open enough for the dog to stick his paw through and open it. Out in the hallway, he stopped and raised his nose to the air, sniffing. With all the Weasleys gone, the mystery scent was stronger. He followed it down the stairs to a closed door and began sniffing the gap between it and the floor. Certain this was where the scent originated, stood up on his hind legs, used one paw to push down on the door handle, and his head to push the door open. He'd decided it would be better to be caught in dog form rather than human if the Weasleys came home prematurely.

Inside, Sirius noticed quite a difference between the rest of the house and this room. Not a single thing was out of place, the bed was perfectly made, and there wasn't even any dust on the several books in the bookshelf. _Must be Percy's room_, he thought, going on the description Ron had given him of his brother.

Yes, the scent definitely originated here, along with Percy's, but he still couldn't find the source. The more he explored, though, the stronger the memories were coming along with the scent. As he was searching under the bed, a name finally connected with it, and the dog's head hit the top of the bed frame when he realized how stupid he'd been not to realize it before.

But how could he possibly be certain Wormtail was residing in this house? Well, the rat hair that was found on the floor was a definite sign, but it could have belonged to any rat.

_Not just any rat could manage that scent, though_, Sirius told himself. _That's a human scent. And whether in human or Animagus form, Wormtail still has the same scent... _

His heart racing, Sirius wondered how to go about getting Wormtail now that he knew where the traitor was. Obviously, Percy had taken the rat with him to London, so he couldn't do it while the family was gone. At night, then... While the Weasleys and Wormtail were asleep... Sirius could sneak into Percy's room, grab the rat, and be gone before sunrise. But there were no certainties that he wouldn't be caught; Wormtail could struggle and make noise, Percy could wake up, see a strange man standing over his bed, and he would undoubtedly call for his parents. What then?

_I could Apparate..._

Not even that was an ideal plan, though. Where would he go? He couldn't just walk into the Ministry with a rat and toss it down on the Minister of Magic's desk. He'd need help, someone who would believe him. But who? Remus and Emmeline couldn't possibly still think he was innocent, not after everything the Ministry had been saying. Dumbledore was a thought, but even he wasn't a safe bet—the Headmaster didn't like to have his trust broken, and if he believed Sirius had done what everyone else thought he had, he'd be just as likely to send Sirius back to the dementors as anyone else in the wizarding world.

Sirius didn't know how long he remained in Percy Weasley's bedroom, but when he heard a car approaching the Burrow, he realized he'd nearly blown his chance to get out. He sprinted down the steep staircase, nearly falling on his face at the bottom step, and skidded to a halt in the kitchen. Molly was leading her children in through the backdoor. The dog turned around and spotted a window that had been left open in the sitting room. Just as Molly opened the door, Sirius leapt through the window, hoping no one had seen him, and darted into the woods behind the orchard where he would wait until Ron came to find him.

* * *

It was nearing sunset when Sirius heard the boy running through the shrubbery towards his hideout, and when he arrived, he was beaming. "I asked Mum if I could keep you, and she said she wanted to see you first, and I told her how nice you were... So we gotta go back home... Be really nice or else she might say no, okay?"

Sirius barked and wagged his tail. If he was the perfect example of a sweet, harmless dog, Molly might allow him to stay in the house, and that would give him the perfect chance to get at Wormtail.

They arrived back at the Burrow and Ron called for his mother. The redheaded witch was doing something in the garden and stood up, wiping dirt off her hands. When he laid eyes on the dog following her son, her eyes widened a little. "He's a little large, isn't he, Ron?" she asked wearily.

Ron shrugged. "He'll be good, though! And he can even chase out the gnomes for us! Show her, Snuffles..."

Taking this as a challenge, Sirius spotted a garden gnome and barked loudly at it, chasing it through the garden, careful not to trample Molly's vegetables. The gnome panicked and tripped, and Sirius took it in his mouth and shook it a little before throwing it faraway into the bushes. Ron was laughing and when Sirius turned to look at Molly, she was having trouble not being amused as well.

"Please, Mum, can I keep him?" Ron asked, going over to the dog and hugging him. Sirius licked the boy's cheek. This seemed to be the key to winning Molly over.

Her look softened up as she watched her son with the dog, and finally, she nodded. "Well, I suppose," she said, pretending to be resigned. "But only if he sleeps outside!" She'd tried to call this to Ron as he ran inside the house, Snuffles the dog chasing after him and barking happily. "Why do I even bother?" Sirius heard her mutter when she walked into the house and found her youngest son feeding his dog bacon leftover from lunch.

Later that night, when Molly came in to tuck Ron into bed and found Sirius lying across her son's legs, she kissed Ron's forehead, pulled the blanket further over his body, and looked at the dog almost fondly. "Thank you for finding him," she said quietly, patting the dog on the head and leaving the room.


	6. Six

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Six_

_Two weeks before Halloween night, Sirius parked his motorbike in front of the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow, took off his helmet, and shook out his long black hair. As he walked up the front walk, he tried to prepare himself for what he was getting ready to tell his friends. He'd gone over it a hundred times in his head over the last few days, but he still couldn't quite imagine their reactions—James' feelings might be a little hurt and Lily might think Sirius had lost his mind, but he wasn't sure whether they would agree with his reasoning. He wasn't even sure _he_ agreed with his reasoning. While he knew his friends would be safe under his care, he also knew how obvious it would to be to Voldemort and the Death Eaters who his friends would have chosen as their Secret-Keeper. Sirius didn't fear death in the slightest, but he was afraid that if he was captured and tortured enough, anything could slip from his mouth—like the location of the Potters. _

_With this thought firmly in his mind, Sirius opened the front door and entered, listening for his friends' voices. _

"_That you, Padfoot?" James' voice called out from upstairs._

"_Yeah, it's me!" Sirius called back._

"_We'll be down in a second! Finishing Harry's bath! There're some leftovers from dinner in the fridge—help yourself!"_

_Ignoring Lily's call about staying away from her food, Sirius entered the kitchen and opened the fridge door where he pulled out a plate of roast beef and made himself a sandwich before grabbing a butterbeer and sitting at the table. As he ate, he pushed away the reasons he'd come here for the time being, mostly so James wouldn't wonder what was wrong with him when he walked into the kitchen. _

_Just as he finished his sandwich, his best friend walked in, drying off his arms with a towel. He grabbed two butterbeers—one for himself and one for Sirius, since he knew the other wizard would finish his off soon—and sat down at the table. _

"_I honestly don't know how that kid gets so bloody dirty," James said, shaking his head. "He looked as though he'd been rolling around in the garden."_

_Sirius laughed. "Well, if he turns out to be anything at all like his dear daddy, he'll never be clean." He ducked James' slap, grinning. "Where's dear Lilykins?"_

"_Putting Harry to bed," James told him. "She should be down in a minute or two... So what'd you want to talk to us about? Your letter wasn't exactly clear..."_

_Sirius cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "We'll wait for Lily," he said, looking around the kitchen. James' eyes narrowed at him, knowing something was going on. "So have you spoken to Wormtail or Moony?"_

"_Not really," James said with a sigh. "We saw Moony the other day in Diagon Alley, but when he spotted us, he turned around and ducked into Madam Malkin's. I honestly don't remember the last time I had a real conversation with him when he wasn't trying find a way out."_

"_Definitely odd..." Sirius said with a nod, making a mental note on how to open his little presentation to his friends. _

"_Harry's asleep," Lily said, entering the kitchen. "Hey, Sirius."_

_He smiled. "Good evening, Evans, you're looking lovely."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "How much of my food have you eaten?"_

"_It should only take a few months to replace it all," he said dismissively. He and James laughed at Lily's eye roll. _

_Lily sat with them at the table and looked at Sirius. "So what did you want to talk to us about?"_

_Sirius shifted around in his chair uncomfortably, knowing they were both watching him closely and expectantly. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he nodded. "I've been thinking about this Secret-Keeper thing," he said quietly, staring at the table. Both his friends raised their eyebrows. "And while I'm honored that you'd trust me with you lives, I don't think I can do it."_

_Lily's mouth dropped open a slightly. James' brow furrowed. "Why not?" he asked evenly._

"_Because it's too bloody obvious," Sirius said matter-of-factly as though he and James were planning a prank. "Everyone knows how close I am to you three, and they all know who Harry's godfather is. Dumbledore's been saying over and over that our only chance of defeating Voldemort is to do the last thing he'd expect. If there really is a spy in our circle—and you both know I believe there is—that person is going to report to Voldemort the moment he gets word that I'm Secret-Keeper. The Death Eaters are going to come after me, regardless of where I go into hiding. And while you both know I would never give away information on your whereabouts willingly, don't you think Voldemort will have planned for that? He's got to have ways of getting information out of people..."_

"_So what do you suggest we do?" Lily asked quietly. James was now staring at his shoes. "I'm sure Emmeline would do it, but she's been out of the country so often lately..."_

_Sirius shook his head. "Again, too obvious," he said. "You need someone Voldemort would never in his wildest dreams expect, someone unassuming who knows how to keep a low profile."_

"_Who, Sirius?" James asked dully, still not looking up at his friend._

_Sirius sighed deeply, preparing himself for their reactions. "Wormtail."_

_The shocked silence lasted for a good five minutes, and in that time, Sirius was vaguely concerned about his well-being. Lily and James both had looks on their faces that suggested they were fully prepared to curse Sirius if he didn't come out with the punch line of this joke soon. "Look, I know you're both thinking I'm mental, but there's a reason I'm suggesting this. Who in their right mind would ever believe Wormtail would be chosen for something like this?"_

"_Sirius," James began, "while Wormtail is one of my best friends, we couldn't even tell him prank plans more than five minutes in advance, because he'd blurt them out to the first person we saw. What the hell makes you think we can trust him with something like this?"_

_Sirius sighed again. "Because he knows there is more at stake than just a detention with McGonagall. I wouldn't have even considered it if it wasn't for the fact that I don't want anything to happen to you—I want to do everything in my power to prevent Voldemort from finding you, and I genuinely believe that with Wormtail as Secret-Keeper, you will be absolutely safe. But if you do this, we can't tell anyone that we've switched—not Dumbledore or Emmeline or even Remus. If people still think I'm Secret-Keeper, Wormtail will be safer."_

_Lily and James looked at one another for a long time and Sirius could tell they were actually considering it. Sirius couldn't help but feel like the world's worst friend; no matter how he phrased it, it still seemed like he was pawning the Potters off on someone else just to save his own skin. And it didn't matter how firmly he told himself he was doing this so save them; there was still a part of his mind that told him not to do this, that _he _needed to be Secret-Keeper, not Wormtail._

_Finally James and Lily looked at him again. James nodded. "Okay," he said somberly, holding his wife's hand. "If you really think this is a good idea, then we trust you—we'll do it."_

* * *

Halloween had once been one of Remus Lupin's favorite holidays. Besides the excuse to eat sugar until his stomach hurt, he and his friends always came up with the best pranks to pull on their fellow students—one of his favorites had been when they'd charmed the school's suits of armor to chase around a certain school house for the day. At one point, the suits had blocked the door to the Slytherin common room just long enough for the Slytherins to be late for their next lessons. Every single one of them had received detentions because nobody could prove—with or without magic—that the suits of armor had moved an inch from their positions.

But since Lily and James' deaths, the day had completely lost its appeal. Now instead of watching horror films and eating chocolate until sunrise, he spent the day sleeping and drinking until he couldn't think straight anymore. Emmeline generally spent the day with him, but her mood wasn't ever much of an improvement over his. If neither of them felt like drinking, they went to Godric's Hollow cemetery or looked at pictures of their old friends. Though neither of them ever discussed it, it went unsaid that Halloween was the only day of the year that they were allowed to be miserable and antisocial. Every other day they were to force themselves to go on with life, just as they knew their friends would have wanted them to do.

This year, though, both of them woke up in semi-decent moods, considering what the day marked, and when Harry finally made it out to breakfast, they were even joking around about nothing in particular. They'd decided to take Harry trick-or-treating that night and no one was quite sure who was looking forward to it most—Harry or the adults. Harry had even chosen a costume: after visiting Gringotts, Harry had become fascinated with goblins. So under the stipulation that they not step a toe into the wizarding world, Emmeline had agreed to perform the necessary charms.

"When was the last time you went trick-or-treating?" Emmeline asked, watching Harry the Goblin run around the flat.

Remus grinned. "About two years before Harry was born," he said, chuckling. "James, Sirius, and Peter had never been, so we all got dressed up in our Hogwarts robes and Apparated to some village. It took about an hour for me to convince them the little kids with green make-up, warts, and pointy hats weren't actually making fun of us. And by the time we'd finished all our candy, James and Sirius could hardly walk."

Emmeline laughed. "That's nothing... Lily and I got dressed up one year with Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes, and went to Petunia's house. I don't think Petunia ever figured out where the horse tail we'd charmed onto her backside came from."

Remus rolled his eyes and laughed. "Brilliance," he said, shaking his head.

"What, no lecture about using magic on Muggles?" she teased.

"If it had been any other Muggle, yes, but I'm sure Petunia did something to deserve it." He grinned. "Besides, that's no worse than when James and Sirius transfigured a book into a pig and set it loose in her house."

"I'm ready!" Harry declared, stopping in front of them as Emmeline got her laughing under control. His skin had been darkened several shades as though he'd gotten an extreme tan. His bare feet were much longer than Remus had ever seen them, and there were even a few hairs that had sprouted. The lightning bolt scar had been charmed temporarily away as well as his scruffy head of hair, leaving him completely bald, but to make up for it, Harry now had a black goatee on his chin. To top it all off, his ears were pointy and it looked as though some of the hair missing from his head had made its way inside them. The only thing that seemed out of place was the large grin Harry was wearing—Remus had never seen a goblin smile, and was sure if one did, the world would be ending. In his hand, Harry held his candy bag, and Bruce was on his shoulder. The turtle seemed to have sprouted a tiny unicorn horn that Remus was sure Emmeline had put there for the night ahead. "Am I gonna get loads of candy?"

"Maybe," Remus said seriously. "Then you've just got to hide it from Emmeline."

The witch slapped his shoulder and Harry laughed. "Emmeline can have once piece," Harry said decisively. "But Remus can't have any."

Remus raised his eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely.

"I always knew there was a reason I loved this kid," Emmeline said with a grin to match Harry's. "All right, let's get out there before all the candy's gone."

Harry cheered and ran to the door, bouncing up and down as though he'd already had a bag full of candy for dessert. Both Remus and Emmeline were quite aware of why he was so excited: the Dursleys had never taken him out on Halloween night. They let Dudley go, and Harry only got the candy his cousin didn't want.

The three of them spent nearly three hours going door-to-door for candy. Though he had enough candy to last him a year, Harry's bag never completely filled, nor did it become too heavy for him to handle—this was due to Remus' bottomless and feather-light charms. When Harry started getting tired, Remus carried him as they finished their route and returned home. Upon entering the flat, Harry was completely unconscious in Remus' arms, but when he put the child into his bed and made to undo the costume charms, Harry woke, wanting to keep his costume on while he slept. Remus nodded and took Bruce from his jacket pocket, placing the sleeping unicorn-turtle into his tank before leaving the room and joining Emmeline and Harry's mountain of candy in the living room.

"Do you think he had fun?" she asked when Remus sat on the floor beside her.

He nodded. "Without a doubt," he replied, taking a small package of licorice from the pile. "I think we all needed that, to be honest."

"Yeah," she said, opening a chocolate bar with peanuts. "I think I can safely say I prefer this to sitting around on Halloween and drinking until we pass out."

"Same here..." he said. He took a deep breath. "What would you think about taking Harry to Godric's Hollow cemetery some time?"

She chewed her chocolate slowly. "I'm not sure that's the best place to take a child..."

He shrugged. "He knows how Lily and James really died. It would be hard, certainly, but I think he can handle seeing where they're buried."

She sighed. "I'm not sure I can handle it, though," she said quietly, staring at her hands. "I can't even think about Godric's Hollow without breaking down... Maybe some time... Just not right now, eh?"

He nodded. The two of them stayed up a few hours more, sorting through Harry's candy, and talking about anything that wouldn't ruin their good moods. When they finally went to bed, Remus had a smile on his face for the first time on Halloween in years.

* * *

"Mum, I think something's wrong with Scabbers," Percy said, coming into the kitchen for lunch. Sirius was lying under the table eating scraps of food the other children were sneaking him. His ears perked a bit when he heard high-pitched squeaks and he ignored the piece of bacon Ginny was trying to give him to watch Percy and his rat. Since his discovery of where Wormtail had been hiding out, the dog had kept a close watch on Percy's every movement. The more he watched, the more he realized Wormtail had found out about him as well, and though Sirius was the one on the run from the Ministry, the rat seemed much more afraid at the moment. Sirius had found small patches of brown fur all over the Burrow, making him certain Wormtail was stressing out.

Currently, the dog's eyes were narrowed on Percy's hands—the rat was there, fighting to get away, squeaking like mad. "He hasn't been eating," Percy told his mother. "Look how thin he is! And he's going bald!"

"It's because of you, Perce," Fred said seriously.

"Yeah," George piped up, "you probably scare him when you look at him." The twins and Ron laughed and Ginny joined in, probably only because her brothers were laughing.

Percy shot them all a glare and turned back to his mother. Wormtail had spotted Sirius under the table and struggled harder to get loose of the boy's grip. Sirius only let his tongue hang out in the canine equivalent of an evil grin. "Can we take him to Diagon Alley next time we go to be looked over?" Percy asked.

Molly paused in the chopping of her vegetables and looked at her son and his pet. She sighed. "I suppose, Percy. Now, put Scabbers back in your room and wash up for lunch." Percy ran off to put the rat back upstairs and Sirius relaxed, inwardly sighing disappointedly that Wormtail hadn't fallen to the floor.

After lunch, the children were sent outside to play while Molly began her afternoon cleaning. Sirius had learned early on that the twins' decision to pick on Ron depended on their moods, and as it turned out, the mood struck them less often now than ever before—Ron seemed to attribute this new phenomenon with Sirius' habit of sticking close to the boy at all times. Today, the Weasley twins and Ron had decided to play a bit of Quidditch in the orchard. For their amusement as they walked, Fred threw the tennis ball they used as a snitch far ahead of them, let Snuffles chase the charmed ball, catch it, and bring it back to them. While he probably would have preferred to be alone on Halloween so he could properly grieve for Lily and James for the first time since his arrest, being kept busy by the Weasley boys was probably much better for his mental stability. At least this way he wasn't left to brood all day. Wormtail wouldn't be going anywhere today anyway; with Percy so concerned about the health of his pet, he wouldn't dare let the rat out of his sights for long. Besides, he was curious to see how the Weasley boys would play Quidditch with only three people.

As it turned out, they were quite prepared for this: their parents had charmed a Muggle hula-hoop as a goal. The hoop moved randomly in midair to act as a Keeper, making it difficult for the Chaser to score with the quaffle. They'd also charmed a ball to act as an automatic bludger—it raced after the players on both teams, trying to keep them from getting the quaffle. The twins and Ron alternated between playing Chasers and Seeker — Fred started out as Seeker, and George and Ron were opposing Chasers. The fact that there were only three people didn't seem to affect their game in the least, and an hour into the game, they got a fourth player: a boy from a neighboring village called Cedric Diggory joined in. Now it was Fred and Ron as Chaser and Seeker respectively versus George and Cedric. Sirius had initially believed this pairing to be rather uneven; Cedric had about three years on Ron, but as it turned out, Ron was actually a pretty decent Seeker. At the end of the three-hour match, Ron had only lost the snitch to Cedric by a matter of inches and only because his arms were shorter than the other boy's.

"Good game," Cedric said to the boys as they landed their broomsticks. "You're almost as good as Charlie, Ron." Ron looked at the older boy with surprise, but Sirius could tell Ron was highly flattered by the comment. "I've got to go; my dad'll be home soon, and we're going to have dinner with my uncle. We'll have to do this again, though."

The twins and Ron said goodbye to Cedric and began picking up their Quidditch supplies to take back home. When they returned to the Burrow, the boys put away their brooms and the rest of their stuff into the broomshed and headed inside where Arthur was telling his wife about his day at work. Ron and the twins were sent upstairs to clean up for dinner, but Sirius remained in the kitchen.

"They've taken everyone off their regular jobs to help out on the searches," Arthur was saying tiredly. "And they've even transferred some American Aurors in to increase the number of people that are going out."

Molly sighed, shaking her head. "I just don't understand why it's so difficult to find one man," she said. "Does he even have a wand?"

Sirius had realized fairly quickly they were talking about the Ministry's efforts to find him. He went over and drank from his water bowl, still listening closely, but suddenly nervous about giving himself away somehow.

"They don't know," Arthur told Molly. "No one has reported a missing wand, and Black's is locked away in the Ministry."

Both Molly and Sirius snapped their heads to Arthur at this comment. "They didn't destroy it?" she asked sharply. "What if he goes after it?"

Arthur shook his head. "They're still considering it evidence. From what I know—and this is strictly between you and I—Alastor Moody keeps it under so many charms and spells that even if Black somehow got down to Auror Headquarters, he'd have a hell of a job getting out—anyone who touches that wand is tested to make sure of his identity."

"And what would happen if Black touched it?" Molly asked interestedly.

"Well, I don't know," Arthur admitted. "But it's highly unlikely that he'd make it more than a few steps from Alastor's desk."

Sirius sighed inwardly. He'd always wondered what had become of his wand—he'd believed it had been destroyed after he'd been thrown into Azkaban. He filed the information Arthur had unknowingly given him in the back of his mind—one never did know when something such as this could be of use.

"Anyway," Arthur said, "Aurors have questioned some of Black's old friends, but hardly got anything useful. And those friends have since disappeared, it would seem."

"Disappeared?" Molly repeated. "Has Black gotten to them?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, nothing like that, I don't think. According to Dumbledore—as I understand, he's quite close with them—they're on holiday somewhere. One of them works at the Ministry, actually—Emmeline Vance. Nice young woman. I find it a bit odd, though; she went on holiday not long after Black's escape now that I think about it and she was gone for several weeks."

"What about the other friend?"

"Well, I don't really know him all that well," Arthur said, thinking. "I've seen him in the Ministry a few times, visiting Emmeline... And he was good friends with Black and James Potter when they were all in school, I believe..." He snapped his fingers. "Lupin… Remus Lupin is his name."

Sirius blinked a few times. Remus and Emmeline had been pretty good friends during school—they'd even flirted with dating one another once or twice, but Remus never allowed their relationship to be anything more than platonic because of his fears of being rejected due to his condition. It was definitely possible that they'd gotten closer after the loss of their friends, but it seemed a bit off to Sirius that they would choose to leave now to take a holiday. He knew both of them quite well, and just couldn't see them enjoying themselves elsewhere while the supposed murderer of their best friends was on the run from the Ministry—they'd want to help out in anyway they could.

_Maybe they are,_ Sirius' mind said. _Dumbledore was the one who said they were on holiday and you know damn well Dumbledore could lie through his teeth and have it be believed without a doubt. He did it loads of times when the Order was still together... And even if Remus and Em took off on holiday, what's it matter? They think you're as guilty as the rest of the bloody world._

_But if I gave them proof that it wasn't me,_ Sirius argued with himself_. Neither of them is stupid; if the proof was definitive enough, they'd believe me._

_And how exactly do you propose we get this proof? Wormtail isn't going to go along willingly; he'll run away before he lets you capture him._

_That may be true, but something has to be done. I can't just pretend to be Ron's pet for the rest of my life._

_So do something about it._

The voices in his head could tell him whatever they wanted, but the fact of the matter remained that there were only five people in the world who knew about the Secret-Keeper switch. Two of them were dead, one was too young to even know what any of it meant, Wormtail would never volunteer the information, and no one would believe Sirius. Then again, Harry may have been very young when his parents took him into hiding, but the memory of the switch would still be in his mind somewhere.

_But even if I get close enough to Harry to withdraw the memory, I don't have a wand, and if I steal a wand, it's not going to work nearly as well as mine would, so there's always the chance of hurting my godson. Besides, Petunia wouldn't let me within five hundred yards of her perfect little home._

Sirius had far from forgotten what he'd seen on his very brief visits to Number Four, Privet Drive. It had looked to him that the boy's guardians used him as a slave—what kind of parents forced a little boy to mow the lawn, especially when said boy was barely able to push the lawn mower? Every time he thought about Harry and his current living conditions, his loathing for Wormtail rose several notches and he began thinking of crueler, more inventive forms of torture—one of his favorites being the scenario in which he stripped Wormtail down to his underpants, hung him upside down by his ankles on a tree right above an ant hill, covered him with honey, and let the insects at him.

By the time he'd broken out of his thoughts, Sirius realized dinner was half over. He looked over at the table, finding Percy immediately, and focused on his pant pocket—it was quivering violently. His main concern right now was that while the Weasleys were in Diagon Alley or Sirius was in the orchard playing with Ron and the twins, Wormtail would find a way to escape. As much as he wanted to, though, he couldn't attack Percy to get at the rat—the thought had crossed his mind several times, but he was certain attacking one of Molly Weasley's children would only land him a one-way ticket out of the Burrow for good.

_Patience is a virtue,_ his mind told him.

_Yeah, but if I'm too bloody patient, I'm going to lose my chance._

"Snuffles," Ron whispered loudly. The dog looked over and saw the boy was holding out a piece of ham for him. As he ate it, he began to form a plan in his mind. It was very risky, but if it worked out correctly, it could mean the difference between living freely and spending the rest of his natural life in his Animagus form. He just hoped his plan didn't backfire on him like most of his plans had a tendency to do.

* * *

About a week after November's full moon, Remus woke suddenly and completely from a deep sleep, unable to figure out why. He listened closely to the sounds within the flat, wondering if perhaps Emmeline or Harry had gotten up for something or another. After a few moments, though, he realized he was definitely hearing a sound, but he dind't think it was either of his housemates—for one, it was coming from Remus' bedroom window and he was almost certain neither Harry nor Emmeline would try to wake him by tapping at the glass from the outside, even if it was for a prank of some sort. Rolling out of bed to investigate, Remus found his late night visitor to be an owl holding a letter in its mouth. He opened the window, studying the bird closely. It looked a bit too old to be a Hogwarts owl—the school staff usually retired elderly owls when it became too difficult for them to fly across the school's grounds, much less to London. Besides, Dumbledore preferred communicating by way of patronus—it was much less likely to be intercepted.

The owl gave Remus a calculated, tired look, hooted quietly, and took off into the night, leaving the letter it carried on the windowsill. Remus picked up the letter and turned it over, finding his name and address in Kent written in small, scrawled script. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He was more curious as to who would write him—he couldn't remember the last time he'd received a letter in the post that hadn't been sent by Emmeline—and how this strange owl knew to find him in London. At this thought, Remus quickly scanned the ground several levels below and the buildings directly across the street. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but strictly as a precaution, he grabbed his wand and performed a charm that would ensure nobody could see a thing within the windows of their flat. Feeling slightly better after that, Remus turned on his bedside lamp, sat down on the edge of his bed, and opened the letter. It was a moment or two before his eyes were able to able to adjust to the scribbled letter.

_Remus,_ the letter began.

_I realize you and I did not part on the best of terms and I further realize that most—if not all—of that is my fault, but right now I believe you're my only hope to prove the truth. Whether you believe a word of what you're reading right now is much less important than my actually admitting to what I've done. Like the rest of the wizarding world, I'm sure you believe that I'm guilty of what I've been accused of. And while I did my best to ensure you didn't know what I was up to, I now realize how horribly wrong I was to put my trust into certain people. I now know you never would have done anything to hurt Lily and James, and you should know, nor would I have. We all made mistakes towards the end, but mine resulted in the loss of our friends. I should have trusted you; it's something I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for. I was so focused on believing you were the traitor that I didn't see what had been right under all our noses for so long and I walked right into his plans. I practically handed Lily and James over to Voldemort without even realizing what I'd done until it was too late._

_I can't tell you everything now; you're going to need to get used to this slowly, if you're to help me (I wouldn't blame you if you decided to hand this letter over to the Ministry). But I will say this: what happened in London that day between Wormtail and myself was not as it seemed. He didn't come looking for me; I went looking for him. And if you were to perform _Priori Incantato _on my wand, you'd see that that I dind't blow up that street and kill those Muggles._

_Right now, I know you're thinking of tracing my whereabouts from this letter. Don't bother; I've made certain to cover my tracks, as they say. But I will be in touch again soon, and next time, I will do more to convince you of my innocence._

_Hoping you're well,_

_Padfoot_

_

* * *

_**AN: **Hey there, kiddies. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this one-I somehow managed to forget about it completely. Hope everyone is having a wonderful 2011 so far. Please review!_  
_


	7. Seven

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Seven_

"Emmeline, I need to talk to you," Remus said, entering the kitchen later that morning. He'd reread Sirius' letter over a dozen times and performed every charm he could think of to identify where it had come from. But as Sirius had said he would be, he was unable to get any further information from it.

Emmeline turned from where she was making Harry his breakfast. "You look horrible," she said bluntly. "Didn't you sleep?"

He shook his head. "We need to talk," he said again.

With a raised eyebrow, she nodded and quickly finished up with Harry's cereal before taking it out to the boy. "Remus and I will be right back, sweetie," she told Harry, ruffling his hair a bit. "Let us know if you need anything."

"Kay," Harry said, starting his breakfast the moment Emmeline set it down.

Remus was already in his bedroom when she entered. "Close the door, please."

"What's going on?" she asked, doing as he requested.

He didn't respond, but handed her the letter. She unfolded it and began to read. He watched her face closely as her complexion paled more and more with each word she read. By the time she finished, Remus was considering making her lie down. "Where did this come from?" she breathed when she finished, reaching out blindly for his desk chair to sit down.

"An owl delivered it last night," Remus told her. "If I'd been more awake, I would have tried to see where the owl came from before it left, but there you have it."

She nodded, rereading the letter. "He mentions his wand..." she muttered. "His wand was destroyed, wasn't it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I never put that much thought into it, but he seems to think it's still around somewhere."

"What happened in London wasn't as it seemed," she read aloud. "Why would Sirius have gone looking for... who the hell is Wormtail?"

"Peter," Remus replied automatically. "It was his nickname. And I don't know. I always thought it a bit odd that Peter would have gone looking for Sirius — whether he realized what Sirius had done or not, Peter was always a little afraid of him. We all knew his temper."

"Should we call Dumbledore?"

"I don't see any reason to keep this from him," Remus said. "Maybe he can shed a bit more light on this."

Emmeline nodded and said she'd contact the Headmaster before leaving Remus to his thoughts.

_I tried to tell you,_ the back part of his mind—the wolf's part—told him. _How many times have I said there should have been an investigation into what happened? This letter all but proves something was off with what the Ministry has told everyone._

_Perhaps, _Remus thought back. _But Sirius could just be lying. He could be trying to convince me of his innocence to get closer to Harry._

_But he doesn't know Harry's with you and Emmeline, does he? Dumbledore made absolutely certain the wards around Privet Drive made it so he couldn't get close enough to the Dursleys to find out any differently, and even if Sirius went there right after his escape, he would have seen Mad-Eye posing as Harry. _

Remus sighed, letting the wolf win this argument for the time being. He stood from his bed and went to find out from Emmeline if Dumbledore had responded. Sirius had said he would write again; Remus would be waiting for that moment anxiously.

* * *

Percy Weasley entered the Magical Menagerie with his father only hours after Emmeline Vance had contacted Albus Dumbledore, holding his pet rat Scabbers carefully in his hands. Since leaving the house that morning, Percy noticed the rat had finally calmed down a bit—he'd stopped struggling so much and had even eaten a piece of bread Percy had given him when he and his family had lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. Still, he was very concerned about what was causing Scabbers to act so oddly lately. He and his father stood behind a wizard purchasing a kitten that helped with housework around the home. Percy tried to imagine the animal sweeping the floor and smiled a little at the image. Once the transaction was finished, Percy walked right up to the counter.

"Hi," he said to the witch. "I think something is wrong with my rat."

The witch nodded. "Alright, let's see it, then." Percy put Scabbers on the counter and watched the rat sniff and his tiny eyes dart around the shop for a moment before he curled up and fell asleep. The witch studied Scabbers a few moments before asking, "How long've you had him?"

Percy thought. "About four years, I think."

She nodded and picked up the rat. Her eyebrows shot up. "Did someone charm his eyes to be blue?" she asked slowly.

The boy's brow furrowed. "Er, no, I don't think so..."

"Hmm..."

"He hasn't been eating much lately and he's going bald. See?" Percy reached out and easily picked off a patch of Scabbers' fur to show her. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

The witch sighed and put Scabbers down again. "Does he have any magical abilities that you know of?"

Percy looked at Scabbers, then at his father.

"Percy found him in our garden," Arthur said. "As far as we know he's just an ordinary rat..."

"I see," the witch said. "Well, common garden rats don't live longer than about five years, at most, I'm afraid. Now, if you wanted an upgrade, something a little more... durable..." She glanced over at a cage of shiny black rats, who had spotted Percy and started doing a tap dance.

Percy watched them for a few moments, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Showoffs..."

"No?" the witch said. "You could always try some rat tonic—it'll get his fur to grow back at least. I will say this, though: I've never seen a rat with blue eyes before; your pet may have a few powers he's been hiding..."

Percy looked at the woman oddly as he picked Scabbers up and waited for his father to pay for the tonic.

"Come on, son, let's go find your mother and get home," his father said, leading him out of the shop. "Fred and George have probably caused a few more grey hairs for her. But don't tell her I said that..."

Percy nodded, hardly paying attention as he looked his pet rat over. He never considered that Scabbers may have magical abilities and he'd never really thought it odd that his rat had blue eyes while others had black ones—he'd just thought it was a neat feature. All Scabbers ever did was eat and sleep—well, that and listen to Percy complain about his brothers and how immature they could be at times.

Speaking of the twins, when Percy and his father met their family at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, they were helping Ginny make a mess out of her hair and face. Their mother was watching wearily, knowing there was no point stopping them now; the best bet was to wait until everyone's ice cream was finished, then use cleaning charms.

"Oh, there you two are," Molly said, spotting her husband and son. "Percy, go have some ice cream before we leave." She handed her son a few sickles and sent him on.

While waiting in line, Percy continued to think about his rat. The witch had said that common garden rats only lived a few years—did that mean Scabbers could be approaching the end of his life? No, Percy told himself, Scabbers would live a long life, no matter what that woman said. And it didn't really matter whether he ever showed any magical ability; Percy would love his pet no matter what.

* * *

Remus and Emmeline sat beside one another watching as Dumbledore read Sirius' letter. The Headmaster's expression gave nothing away, and it was one thing that had always annoyed Remus a bit—there weren't many people who could keep their faces that blank all the time, especially when reading a letter from an escaped convict, telling the reader to look further into the truth of his guilt. When he reached the end of the letter, the Headmaster simply folded it back up, set it on the coffee table, and leaned back in the armchair he was sitting in.

"Well?" Remus said after a few moments of watching his headmaster's thoughtful face. "What do you think?"

"It would seem to me that Sirius Black is trying to prove his innocence to you, Remus," Dumbledore said. "Whether he is truly innocent, I cannot be certain. Every bit of evidence that was compiled after his arrest suggests he was at fault and as we all know, he was Secret-Keeper for the Potters."

Remus sighed and nodded. "What happened to his wand? Was it snapped?"

"No," Dumbledore said. "It is being held as evidence by Alastor Moody. The confusion and excitement that followed the fall of Lord Voldemort led to many things being overlooked, including Black's wand. Alastor made a habit of collecting wands of captured Death Eaters—he keeps them together in his office."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "Very strange habit, that," she said dully, making Remus chuckle. "He doesn't worry about those wands being stolen?"

"He certainly does," Dumbledore responded. "It is a known fact that Alastor is quite paranoid, particularly in recent years. The office itself is kept locked with complicated charms and is inaccessible to anyone other than Alastor."

"Was Sirius' wand ever tested using Priori Incantatem?" Remus asked. "Sirius was thrown into prison so quickly that there was no in-depth look into anything that happened. Maybe something was missed."

Dumbledore looked at the folded letter on the table. "It was not tested. Since Sirius was arrested and his wand confiscated, the wand has not been handled, let alone used."

"So it's just sitting in Mad-Eye's office?" Emmeline asked.

"At the moment, yes," the Headmaster said. "If you would like, if it would put your minds at ease, I will speak with Alastor."

Remus and Emmeline nodded, neither of them speaking, both unsure if they wanted any answers to the questions they had about Sirius.

Dumbledore looked around the flat. "Where is young Harry? I haven't seen him since my arrival."

"He's playing with his pet turtle, Bruce," Emmeline said with a smile. "Harry's trying to teach him how to do cartwheels..."

Dumbledore chuckled. "A very intriguing way to spend a day," he said, nodding and standing. "Well, I should be off."

"So soon, sir?" Remus asked. "You've just gotten here."

"There are two new Gryffindors this year who, if left during their own devices, will torment my Potions Master until he has been pushed to the brink." Dumbledore grinned. "They remind me of four former Gryffindors, actually..."

It took Remus a moment to remember that Severus Snape was the current Potions Master at Hogwarts, and as they showed Dumbledore out of the flat, Remus said, "I assure you, sir, that if given the chance, those four Gryffindors would do it all again..."

Dumbledore laughed. "I have no doubt of that, my boy." He winked at Emmeline and stepped out into the hall. The moment both his feet were outside, his wizard robes had seemingly automatically transfigured themselves into a Muggle suit.

Remus and Emmeline watched him head down the hall before closing the door. "Hasn't he ever realized that his robes make him less obvious to Muggles than his suits?" Emmeline asked, chuckling. "Canary yellow, I ask you..."

Remus laughed. "It's Dumbledore. Do you honestly expect anything different?"

Emmeline rolled her eyes and headed into Harry's room to see how he was coming along with Bruce.

* * *

Emmeline was walking through the Ministry corridors about a week later, having just left her office in the Department of Magical Transportation. Since she and Remus had gone into hiding with Harry, she had spoken with her supervisor and after some time of raised eyebrows and speculation about the true reasons why, it had been mutually agreed upon that Emmeline would do as much of her work from home as she could manage and still pop into the Ministry from time-to-time, preferably once or twice a month. Of course, her supervisor had no idea why Emmeline had suddenly decided to take so much time off from the Ministry—her excuse had involved a very ill friend who needed taking care of.

Today would be one of the days of the month that she helped get things done in the Ministry. Since her last visit, it seemed the Ministry had gone a little mental in the search for Sirius—nobody seemed in the joking mood anymore and everybody was more than a little jumpy. Emmeline inwardly wondered how long it had been since any of them had last slept.

Currently, she was heading down to Auror Headquarters on her last task of the day to drop off a report on unauthorized portkeys—the Aurors suspected Sirius of getting around in several ways, but believed his primary method of travel to be portkeys. Though Emmeline had read several other reports that covered sightings of Sirius while writing this one, she still hadn't seen any proof that Sirius was getting around magically. Besides, before his arrest, Sirius had been an Auror—he'd know not to use a portkey or even Apparition. Any means of magical travel could be tracked and Sirius would be smart enough not to make such a huge mistake. Unfortunately for the Aurors, though, nobody had asked for Emmeline's opinion on how Sirius was getting around; she'd simply been told to write a report on where illegal portkeys were being made, where they were taking their makers, and how they were related. As she entered Auror Headquarters, the rebellious part of her mind laughed at how unintentionally unhelpful the report would be to them. That same part of her mind told her repeatedly not to help in the search for Sirius until something definitive came back on Sirius' wand.

She crossed through Auror Headquarters, smiling at witches and wizards she knew, and headed back to Mad-Eye's office. Her thoughts on whether to ask the Head Auror whether Dumbledore had yet spoken to him about Sirius' wand came to an abrupt halt when she saw Mad-Eye wasn't alone. It wasn't Kingsley Shacklebolt that threw her mind so far off track, or even Daniel Redding, the head of the DMLE. It was a fourth man in the room. He was about as tall as Kingsley, maybe an inch taller, with jet black hair and one or two grey spots, and a stature that most people would find rather intimidating. Emmeline knew that the moment he turned around to face her, she would see a scar on his cheek that was the result of a childhood injury.

"Ah, Vance," Mad-Eye growled with what looked to be relief on his scarred face when he spotted the witch before she had a chance to run and hide. "We were just talking about you."

The fourth man turned and Emmeline immediately plastered a wide smile on her face, trying hard to be pleased to see him while on the inside she was starting to panic. "Well, I hope you weren't saying anything too horrible. Hello, Michael."

"Emma, I was just preparing to come find you." He held out his arms, waiting for a hug, and Emmeline reluctantly obeyed her older brother's wishes. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see him—it had been years since their last meeting. Emmeline simply hadn't expected to see her brother, who'd moved to America after the war had ended, to be standing here now or any other time in the near future.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, hoping her tone didn't come out nearly as rudely as it had in her mind.

Michael smiled. "Alastor has asked myself and a few other American Aurors to help out in the search for Sirius Black. And of course, I thought this would be the perfect time to visit my baby sister."

"Have you been in town long?" she asked, ignoring the loud laugh he emitted. Just as she remembered, his laughter sounded like a hammer hitting an anvil in her mind.

"A few days, actually," the wizard replied. "I meant to get in touch before now, but it's been a bit hectic around here."

"So I see," Emmeline replied, shooting both Mad-Eye and Kingsley glares for not warning her when Michael turned away to speak with Redding. "Here's the report you asked for, _Alastor._"

"Thank you, Vance," Mad-Eye replied, rolling his normal eye at the accusing tone in which she'd spoken his name. As he took the rolled parchment from her, he leaned forward and spoke quietly, "I haven't had a chance to get to you; your brother's been hovering over my bloody shoulder since the moment he got here!"

Emmeline quietly snorted a laugh. "It's what he does best..." she muttered back. She stood straight up again. "Well, I should be getting along. Lots of work and all that." She'd hoped Michael would say he'd catch up with her later or that one of the Aurors would assign him a task to keep him busy until Emmeline could get out of the Ministry and back to the apartment to warn Remus. They'd need to work out a cover story to tell Michael to keep him from finding out the Boy-Who-Lived was living with them. But as her luck (or lack thereof) would have it, Michael was the only one to speak up and it wasn't to tell her he was busy with work for the next two months of his stay.

"I thought we could have lunch, Emma," he said. "It's been so long since I've seen you last..."

Her mind was supplying excuse after excuse for her to tell her brother, but her mouth, it seemed, refused to cooperate. "That would be lovely," she heard herself say in increasing horror. But it didn't stop there... "Why don't we have lunch at my flat?"

Even Mad-Eye looked at her with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if she was mental. She was fighting not to slap herself in the head for being an idiot. Perhaps she'd been hoping her brother would insist that they go out to eat or maybe that he'd changed his mind about lunch altogether. Either way, as Emmeline left the Ministry with her brother not long after her blunder, she hastily sent Remus a patronus, telling him in not so many panicked words to prepare for invasion. She only hoped that when she opened the door to the flat no spells or curses flew in their direction.

As they walked, Michael filled her in on how the rest of their family—their brother Thomas and his wife, and Michael's wife and young daughter—were fairing. From what she'd heard, even after five years, Thomas was still in the lead for top brother award. While she

loved Michael dearly and would even, given the right circumstances, give her life for his, he had a habit of being a little overbearing and snobby at times. Somehow he'd come up with the belief that his blood was better than that of his family's—he'd married a pureblooded witch from an old American family and looked down on Thomas for marrying a Muggleborn woman. Emmeline and her mouth made a deal that if it told Michael about Remus being a werewolf, it would be cursed off by Emmeline herself.

"This is where you live now, Emma?" Michael asked as they entered Emmeline's building. Though she ignored it, she didn't miss the arrogant, superior tone he used.

"Yes," Emmeline said shortly. "It's much more comfortable than the family home—I still have the house, of course, but I wanted something a bit smaller."

Michael made a noise of acknowledgement, making Emmeline certain she'd annoyed her brother. She hid her smile well. When they arrived at the fourth floor flat, Emmeline made their entrance as loud as she could without drawing the neighbors out to the hall, and when she pushed open the door, she made a mental note that she owed Remus big time.

"There you are, love," the werewolf said, setting aside his book with a smile. He stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Play along," he whispered in her ear. Remus knew Michael's reputation and attitude quite well, and he knew what would happen if the elder Vance found out his sister was living with a man out of wedlock—whether they were just friends or otherwise.

She gave him a wink and a thankful smile as he backed away. "Michael, you remember Remus Lupin, don't you? He went to school with me."

"Oh yes," Michael said after a few moment's thought. "A Gryffindor, as I recall. Prefect."

Remus nodded and smiled. "You have a good memory," he said, shaking the other wizard's proffered hand.

Emmeline noticed her brother had glanced at Remus' left hand and she was on the verge of panic again until she saw Remus had a gold band on his fourth finger. "Emmeline, you didn't tell me you were married..." her brother said with an accusing raised eyebrow, glancing at her finger.

She tried not to show her surprise when she felt her finger grow just a little heavier. When Michael had turned his back from Remus, the werewolf had used a non-verbal spell to put a ring there just in time. She looked over her brother's shoulder and saw him wink, putting his wand back under his shirt. Before she could reply to her brother's comment, Remus spoke up. "It was very recent, only a month or so ago," he lied smoothly. "A very small ceremony at the Ministry. We're planning a larger one with family and friends, but neither of us could wait that long."

Michael actually chuckled. Emmeline inwardly wondered at the sound—she hadn't known he could do that... "Understandable," he said. "I look forward to the invitation."

"Michael, why don't you have a seat," Emmeline said. "Remus and I will get lunch for all of us."

Once in the kitchen and away from her brother's eyes, Emmeline sighed deeply. "You're my hero," she told Remus.

He shrugged and leaned against the counter. "I remember you telling us about your brother... I don't suppose you could have kept him away from here..."

"I tried!" she whispered loudly. "I had all these excuses to give him, and instead, my bloody mouth betrays me and asks him over for lunch." Remus chuckled and shook his head. "Where's Harry?"

"He's in his room playing with Bruce, under a glamour charm. He understands what he can and cannot say, mostly that he's Harry Potter. And I told him we'd call him for lunch."

She sighed. "And how am I supposed to explain a five-year-old child to Michael?" she asked, mostly to herself.

"I've got it taken care of," he said, waving the question off. "He was my sister's son—very unfortunately she's passed on, and she left his care to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Remus… You don't have a sister," she said dully.

Remus grinned. "You and I know that, but Michael doesn't."

She had to stuff her hand in her mouth to stifle her laugh. While she calmed down, Remus, still chuckling, started preparing leftover soup from the night before and some sandwiches. Just as they were putting lunch on tray to carry out to the living room, they heard Michael ask something and Harry's voice respond. With wide eyes, Emmeline rushed out, nearly tripping over her feet, to intervene and found that there had been no need: Harry was sitting in the armchair in his glamour charm, telling Michael about his back-flipping turtle, Bruce.

Michael looked up at Remus and Emmeline. Anyone else wouldn't have seen the suspicion in his eyes, but Emmeline had grown up knowing how to read her brother very well. "Fascinating young man," he said to the other two adults. "Yours, I assume?"

"In a way," Remus said. "He's my nephew actually. His mother died when he was just an infant—massive broom collision after a Quidditch match—and she left to him to me." He ruffled Harry's hair as he passed and set down the tray.

"Oh yes," Michael said, nodding seriously. "Late 1980, wasn't it, in Germany? Killed about fifteen people as I recall."

Remus nodded solemnly and Emmeline was the only one who caught his lips twitching. "The very same," he said with a feigned sad sigh.

"The Ministry has been warning for ages not to drink and fly..." Michael said. After a few moments of Remus staring at the table—trying to get his amusement under control, Emmeline suspected—Michael changed the subject. "So what is it you do, Lupin?"

By now, Emmeline had calmed down enough to remember just how thoroughly Remus could lie to a person. While he replied, she sat down next to Harry and gave him his lunch. "I teach mostly," he said. "During the summer, I tutor Hogwarts students preparing for their exams. And during the school term, I home-school young Jamie."

Seemingly pleased with this reply, Michael accepted the food Emmeline handed him. Lunch went on quite smoothly. Harry was very careful not to call Remus or Emmeline his parents as he usually did when under his glamour charm and he didn't slip-up once. Emmeline made a second mental note to bake him a large chocolate cake and to give him as much ice cream as his little stomach could handle once this meal was over.

An hour later, lunch had been demolished, the dishes had been cleared and moved into the kitchen, and Emmeline could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Michael had dominated the majority of the conversation, as usual, and spoke mostly about what a great Auror he'd become in America. The first and only time Remus tripped up in his story was when Michael asked him if he'd known Sirius in school. Emmeline kept her eyes well away from her brother's face as she concentrated on running her fingers through Harry's longish blond hair.

"I did know him," Remus said shortly. "We were friends since we met on the school train in first year and until the time of his arrest."

Michael nodded slowly. "You hadn't realized that he'd turned to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Harry looked up at Emmeline questioningly. Since his arrival in their care, both Remus and Emmeline had told him about Voldemort—one of discussions taught Harry that he should only call the Dark Lord by his name and to never be afraid to speak it aloud. Emmeline put a finger to her lips, silently telling Harry not to correct Michael—if it had been anyone else, she would have let him speak up and would have even been greatly amused by the reaction, but Michael Vance didn't like to be corrected. Besides, the less he was challenged, the sooner he would leave. Or so Emmeline hoped...

Remus hesitated for a moment before finally answering. "I had not realized," he said. "If I had, things would quite possibly be far, far different."

Michael nodded in agreement. "Indeed they would be," he said. "Well, I should be off. I've got to get back to the Ministry and the Leaky Cauldron gets a little hectic in the evening, so I want to finish with my work early."

Emmeline got up, hoping she didn't seem as eager to see him leave as she was on the inside. "Oh, is that where you're staying?"

"Yes," Michael said, following his sister to the door. "Bit lonely there, to be honest, not to mention stuffy and dirty..."

Emmeline knew exactly what Michael was hinting at, and her instincts began to offer him the extra room in the flat until he went back to the states. When she'd glanced over to Remus, he'd very unhelpfully mouthed _your brother_ behind Michael's back and shrugged. She shot him a glare as he and Harry headed into the kitchen to clean up, and turned back to Michael. She knew he would never invite himself to stay with anybody, even family, but one of his beliefs had always been that when family needed a place to stay, you offered. And if Emmeline turned her brother away, she'd never hear the end of it. Every time she attended a future family gathering, there would be little subtle jabs at her lack of hospitality and family loyalty. She took in a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, "Michael, would you like to stay with us?"

* * *

Later in the afternoon, when Michael had gone to get his things from the Leaky Cauldron to bring back and while Harry was occupied with watching cartoons, Emmeline wandered into Remus' bedroom where he was busy moving his clothes and personal things to Emmeline's room—married couples didn't normally sleep in separate bedrooms, Remus had pointed out with twitching lips. She sat on his bed while he worked with his back facing her.

"I am so sorry," she said, shaking her head at herself.

He laughed and turned to her. "It's all right," he said. "I understand how family is... But honestly, Em, you're an adult; haven't you learned how to tell your brother no yet?"

She glared at him. "I've tried telling him no before and it didn't get me anywhere. My only hope now is that Mad-Eye gets sick of him and sends him home soon."

Remus sat beside her. "Well, no matter how long he stays, Harry and I will make absolutely certain he doesn't make it miserable for you."

"And you have no idea how much I appreciate that," she said tiredly. "So did you actually come up with that story when I sent my patronus?"

He grinned. "Actually, Mad-Eye sent one about ten minutes before yours arrived saying that you were on the verge of a breakdown and I'd better start damage control."

She chuckled. "Well, either way, thank you."

He winked. "Besides, this gives me a reason to be closer to you at night."

She rolled her eyes and started out of the room, before leaving she turned and said, "You can sleep on the floor."

* * *

**AN:** Howdy, kiddies. So anyone familiar with my _Truths _series is probably slightly familiar with Emmeline's dear brother Michael. I have tweaked his personality a bit to make him less of a tool for this story, but he was too much fun to leave out... Please review!


	8. Eight

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Eight_

Since sending his letter to Remus, which he'd written using Arthur Weasley's wand in the middle of the night to make certain no one could track it back to the Burrow, Sirius had been waiting for Aurors to track him down and come knocking down the Burrow doors. It hadn't happened yet, but Sirius was still rather on edge about it. He tried to go on as normally as possible—letting the Weasley children think they were teaching tricks to a very talented dog, giving Ginny rides around the yard on his back, chasing gnomes from the garden—but at night, his mind wandered to Remus, wondering if his old friend (and possibly his only hope of convincing the world of his innocence) had decided to believe him or if he'd just burned the letter altogether.

As far as Wormtail went, though he'd far from forgotten they were in the same house, the rat was among the last things on his mind. Sirius had been keeping a close eye on him—Percy very rarely left the sanctity of his bedroom; if he did, it was only for meals or to go somewhere with his family, and everywhere he went, Wormtail was in the boy's pocket. Today was one of the rare days when Percy had decided to join the rest of his family in the sitting room while they waited for their father to get home and for Molly to finish dinner. Sirius was dozing on the floor at Ron's feet while the boys listened to a Quidditch match on the wireless. Ginny was lying next to him, her head resting on his belly, seemingly sleeping soundly. Percy was curled up in an armchair reading, ignoring the ever-present quivering in his shirt pocket. Sirius was quite prepared for a nap before dinner and was even willing to ignore the squeaks Wormtail was making to do so, but the tranquility that was very rarely found within the Weasley home was suddenly being disturbed.

The dog lifted his head lazily and looked over along with the other Weasleys and found that Wormtail had come out of his hiding place; Percy was struggling to hold onto his pet while the rat was doing everything he could to escape, including, it seemed, biting the boy who had taken him in.

"OW!" Percy cried, instinctively pulling the bleeding finger away. "Scabbers, no!"

Wormtail had tumbled to the floor; Sirius watched it happen as if in slow motion. Both animals seemed to realize the gravity of the situation at the same time—Wormtail's beady blue eyes locked with Sirius' grey canine ones and though both sets of eyes had completely opposite emotions—Wormtail's panic and fear, Sirius' hungry and triumphant—both reacted at the same moment. As Sirius lunged for the rat, completely forgetting Ginny had been using him as a pillow, Wormtail tried to run away. Chaos ensued—between the barking, squeaking, Ginny's crying from being woken up so rudely, shouts from Percy, and shouts of encouragement from Fred and George, it was amazing Sirius was able to concentrate. Wormtail squeezed under the sofa where the clearance was only a few inches and impossible for Sirius to get under unless he overturned it.

But his attempts to overturn the sofa were futile: it had been placed against the wall. So he did what he could; he got as close to the floor as he could and barked and growled as threateningly as he could, trying as best he could to swipe at the quivering rat with an outstretched paw. He didn't know how much time had passed, nor did he care; he was a predator trying to get at his prey. Vaguely, he figured that after this, he'd be surprised if Wormtail ever showed so much as the tip of his bald tail around Sirius again. He could hear the rat squeaking loudly, his message clear: help! Or at least that was that was the clean version of what he was saying. The barks and growls were a pretty damn clear message too: he was, without any shadow of a doubt, threatening to eat the rat he was hunting.

By rolling onto his shoulder and twisting his body so that one hind leg was sticking into the air ridiculously, Sirius had managed to get enough leverage on the sofa to lift it up a tiny bit, enough to get part of his head through at any rate, and just as he was preparing to squeeze the rest of his body under, someone strong pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. Enough of his sense had returned that he didn't snap at Molly's hand to get her to let go—very resignedly, he recognized defeat and, still growling, let Ron pull him away from the sofa.

"Get that monster out of here!" Percy shouted at Ron, diving to the floor to coerce Wormtail to come out.

"He's not a monster!" Ron shouted back.

Molly turned to Ron and Sirius. "Take him upstairs, Ron," she said calmly. "At least until Percy gets Scabbers out."

Ron huffed angrily and glared at his mother and Percy (but mostly at Percy), and led the black dog up the crooked staircase. Once in his very orange bedroom, Ron slammed the door shut. "_Stupid_ Percy and his _stupid_ rat," he muttered over and over, kicking things on his floor.

_You have no idea, kid_, Sirius thought wearily, lying down on the bed. The disappointment in missing the opportunity to catch Wormtail was mounting—he'd gotten so close and now he was even further from his goal of revealing the traitor than before.

_And what, exactly, were you planning on doing if you did catch him?_ the pessimistic side of his mind asked. _Did you think the Weasleys were going to let you carry Wormtail out of the house, let you get all the way to the Ministry, walk up to the Minister, and drop the rat at her feet? _

Sirius rolled his eyes at the voice and huffed, watching Ron stalk around the room, muttering things about Percy under his breath.

For the rest of the night, the Burrow was filled with tension—at dinner, Percy and Ron were ignoring one another's very existence and Sirius, who was lying under the table, ignoring the scraps of food the children were offering to him, was still aching to get his teeth around Wormtail's thinning body. After dessert, most of the children went on their way, but Percy remained in the kitchen with his parents, seemingly trying to convince them to get rid of Ron's dog. Ron and Sirius were just around the corner, listening to every word spoken.

"Scabbers was here first!" Percy was saying. "And he's ill! That dog's had it out for him ever since he came here!"

"Percy," Arthur said calmly, "this is the first time this has happened."

"Yeah, but I've seen how that dog looks at Scabbers. He wants to eat him"

Molly sighed. "Snuffles is a dog, Percy; they hunt other animals sometimes, but I doubt he wants to eat Scabbers. We're not getting rid of Snuffles and that's that. If you want, keep Scabbers in your room from now on. He needs rest if he's ill, anyway."

"_But Scabbers was here first!_" Percy continued to argue. "He shouldn't _have_ to stay upstairs all the time."

"Enough, Percy," Arthur said. "We'll talk to Ron about keeping Snuffles away from Scabbers, but the dog isn't going anywhere. Just like we won't get rid of Scabbers."

When Percy stalked out of the kitchen, he spotted Ron and Sirius, glared at them for a moment, and continued on. The Weasley parents' talk with their youngest son consisted of keeping Snuffles away from Percy whenever possible—if Percy wanted to be in the family room, for example, Snuffles would have to go elsewhere. This was mostly to keep the peace within the Burrow. Ron grudgingly agreed and Sirius realized how much more difficult capturing Wormtail was about to become.

* * *

It wasn't until about a week later that the tense peace within the Burrow was broken. Since the talk between Ron and his parents, Sirius had made it a point to stay away from both Percy and his rat, just to keep the arguing at a minimum. Fred and George had both congratulated Ron and his dog on infuriating Percy to the point that their brother never left his room except for mealtimes. They'd even started calling the dog Snuffles the Rat Hunter every chance they could, usually when Percy was in earshot. The twins had said, however, that it probably would have been a bad idea for Snuffles to have eaten Scabbers, because who knew what kind of diseases Percy's real family—who they'd insisted for years to be aliens of some sort—had passed on to Percy, and Percy certainly would have passed on said diseases to Scabbers.

But one morning, not long before Christmas holidays would begin, Ron and Sirius were awoken by angry shouts, loud footsteps, and Ron's bedroom door being slammed open so forcefully that the doorknob put a hole in the wall.

After a moment of blinking sleep out of his eyes, Sirius realized that the large white spot he was seeing was actually a sheet being held up by an extremely furious Percy. "_Where is he?_" Percy screamed at his brother.

"Who?" Ron asked confusedly.

"Scabbers!"

Sirius' head snapped up, studying the sheet. He suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach when he spotted tiny red spots.

"How should I know where Scabbers is?" Ron asked. "I've been sleeping!"

This only seemed to anger Percy even more. "I know exactly what happened!"

But before he could elaborate, the rest of the Weasleys had heard the noise in Ron's room and had come up to investigate. Molly pushed herself in front of the tired twins. "What is going on?" she asked, tying her robe shut. "What's all this shouting about?"

"Ron's dog ate Scabbers!" Percy said, looking pleased that one of his parents had arrived in time for the announcement.

Sirius raised an inward eyebrow. He hadn't left Ron's room all night and he was certain he would have remembered eating a rat in the middle of the night.

"Percy, I really don't think—" Molly started to say. She was cut off when her third oldest son whirled around, showing her the sheet.

"That's blood," he said harshly. "Scabbers' blood! There's blood everywhere—look!" He pointed out little red spots on the floor outside Ron's room and perhaps the most damning evidence yet: patches of black and brown fur mixed into one of the larger spots. Molly looked from the spots to Percy, to Ron and Snuffles, seemingly unsure of how to handle this situation. How often could the Weasley family have dealt with one pet being accused of eating another?

Before Molly could speak, though, Ron threw his blankets to the foot of the bed and got up. "Snuffles didn't eat your stupid rat!" he said furiously. "He was in here all night and the door was closed!"

"So then what happened to him?" Percy demanded from his brother.

"Maybe he ran away, Percy," Molly said, trying to calm Percy.

"If he did, what about all the blood?"

Molly sighed. "He could have hurt himself... Anything could have happened, dear; it doesn't mean Snuffles ate him..."

"I told you that dog would do this," Percy said, obviously not wanting to hear a word his mother was trying to say. "And now look what's happened—Scabbers is dead!"

The Weasley matriarch looked defeated. She turned to the twins, one of whom was holding Ginny. "You lot go downstairs for breakfast." Rolling their eyes, Fred and George headed back down the hall. To add insult to injury for Percy, those remaining in Ron's room could clearly hear the youngest Weasley singing "Snuffles ate Scabbers! Snuffles ate Scabbers!" until she made it to the kitchen.

Molly closed the door to block out the song which had only seemed to infuriate Percy further—the longer Ginny sang, the redder his face became. "Percy," Molly finally said quietly. "I know you're upset right now, but you have to understand—even if Snuffles did eat Scabbers—which we don't know for certain—that's the way some animals are. We don't know where Snuffles came from before Ron found him, just as we don't know where Scabbers came from."

"I don't care!" Percy yelled. "Ever since that stupid dog came here, Scabbers has been ill. He was here first and no one even cares that he's gone!"

Molly seemed to recognize the symptoms of one of her children preparing to cry. With a heavy sigh, she picked up the sheet Percy had dropped at some point, put an arm around her son's shoulders, and led him out of the room. "Get ready for breakfast, Ron," she said quietly before leaving.

Ron sat on the edge of his bed for a long time, looking from where his mother had been moments before to his dog. "I know you dind't eat Scabbers, Snuffles," he said quietly, reaching out to pet Sirius' head. The dog went over and rested his head on the boy's knee. They sat like that for some time before Ron's stomach began grumbling. "Come on," he said, standing. "Let's go eat, then we can get out of here for a bit."

Sirius followed his boy out of the room, his mind still racing. It seemed quite clear to him that Wormtail had once again outsmarted him. He was willing to bet his freedom that the rat wasn't dead; sometime during the night, Sirius thought, Wormtail had made himself bleed and had taken off, once again framing Sirius for his death.

* * *

Only days following the scene in Ron Weasley's bedroom, a thin, balding rat with beady blue eyes was running through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic, making his way quickly to Auror Headquarters. Sirius hadn't been the only creature in the Burrow who'd been listening when Arthur Weasley had told his wife that Sirius Black's wand was being held by Mad-Eye Moody's office. And ever since the day Sirius had cornered the rat under the sofa, Wormtail had been planning his escape—with any luck, the Weasleys will have thrown the dog out by now.

But if he was to move forward at all, Wormtail would need a wand. His own had been dropped that day in London when he had first framed Sirius—between cutting off his finger, blowing up the street, and transforming in order to escape, Wormtail had fumbled it. The loss of his wand was the foremost reason he'd waited until now to form an escape. If he'd had his wand, he could have done something to get rid of Sirius ages ago. And if his current plan worked out correctly, he would have a new wand, a more powerful wand, and he could begin to work on what he would do next.

The rat slipped into one of the lifts behind a few Aurors. So far, no one had noticed him, and if his luck continued in this fashion, no one _would_ notice him. His only concern for his plans was Mad-Eye himself. Wormtail knew all about the Head Auror's magical eye—it always made him nauseous to look at—but he didn't know the extent to which it could see through things—he knew about Invisibility Cloaks, doors, and other solid materials, but could that eye see through an Animagus disguise? But Wormtail tried not to think about the answer to that question; he needed a wand very badly, and who's better to steal than Sirius Black's? The Ministry wouldn't believe a supposed dead man had broken into Mad-Eye Moody's office to steal a wand; they'd be much more likely to believe it had been Sirius. After all, it was his wand sitting inside a desk...

The lift arrived at level two and Wormtail followed a group of people out. While it had been years since he'd last navigated these halls, he was fairly certain his destination was just through those large oak doors up ahead. He stayed close to a witch who seemed to be going the same way, hiding under her robes, but keeping just enough distance so that he dind't brush up against her leg, which would both startle her and give him away.

Inside Auror Headquarters, it seemed to Wormtail that not much, if anything at all, had changed. It was still full of loud, cocky witches and wizards as it ever had been, and Wormtail even spotted a few familiar faces from the times he'd visited James and Sirius at work. Kingsley Shacklebolt was still there, and after a few moments, Wormtail spotted Mad-Eye—he was on the opposite side of headquarters, talking to someone. Wormtail left the witch he'd come in with to her own business and began searching for Mad-Eye's office. If his memory was serving him correctly—which it seemed to be today—his was the corner office, and once he found it, he saw the door was wide open and empty. Hoping Mad-Eye's magical eye was looking elsewhere, Wormtail slipped into the office and followed the baseboards along the wall to a tall filing cabinet where he would hide until Mad-Eye left for the evening—if he was correct in reading the sun's position before entering the Ministry, it was nearing dinnertime anyway.

It seemed his timing on entering the office was near perfect: Wormtail had just curled up against the corner the wall and got comfortable when Mad-Eye entered with someone else.

"Have a seat, Vance," the wizard growled, shutting the door and going around the desk to sit across from the other person.

Wormtail moved as close to the edge of the filing cabinet as he dared to see if Mad-Eye was talking to the person Wormtail believed it to be. It only took one look to confirm that Emmeline Vance was in the office, and while Wormtail would remain cautious, he wasn't at all concerned about the witch being so near to him; as far as he knew, she had no idea about the Marauders becoming illegal Animagi.

"So how're Lupin and the boy?" Mad-Eye asked.

"They're doing pretty well," Emmeline replied. Wormtail could hear her smiling. "Everyone's been a bit on edge since Michael started staying with us, but we're all holding up all right."

"Good to hear," Mad-Eye said gruffly. "Any word on whether Dumbledore plans to send the kid back to the Muggles?"

"None yet, thank god. Remus and I are hoping he'll be able to stay with us until this is all over. There haven't been any issues as of yet, so I don't see why he couldn't."

Wormtail poked his head out from behind the cabinet in time to see Mad-Eye nod. "I don't know that it was wise to bond with the kid, Vance. This is a mission, not a holiday."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "Don't lecture me, Mad-Eye," she said coolly. "You know it does no good. Besides, you spend ninety-percent of your day with him and tell me you haven't bonded with him. Really, if you think about it, Remus and I are his only remaining family."

Mad-Eye grudgingly agreed, mostly, Wormtail thought, because arguing with Emmeline Vance was futile—she'd find a way to win. "So I got a letter from Dumbledore earlier this week," he said. "Something about Sirius Black's wand. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Emmeline seemed to attempt avoiding Mad-Eye's eye, both normal and magical. Wormtail knew she was lying and he was almost certain the other wizard would know it too, but she wasn't called out on it. "His wand? No, I don't know anything about his wand. Why? What did it say?"

The wizard didn't respond for a few moments. He seemed to be trying to determine the truth. "Dumbledore wants Priori Incantatem done on it to see which spells were cast last. He didn't say much about _why_ he wants it done, but you know Dumbledore: more tight-lipped than a bloody goblin at times. Anyway, can't say no to him; we're doing the spell tomorrow afternoon, after Hogwarts lets out for the holidays—only time Dumbledore can leave without feeling guilty."

She nodded. "Well, keep me informed on the results..."

"Even though you didn't know anything about it?" Mad-Eye asked.

"It may be interesting to know the outcome." Mad-Eye looked at her suspiciously for a moment or two. "I should be going," she said, shifting around uncomfortably in her chair under the look the wizard was giving her. "Michael's probably realized I haven't gone to the loo by now."

The wizard stood to walk her out of headquarters, talking to her about some report she'd given him some time ago. If Mad-Eye and Dumbledore were getting ready to test Sirius' wand, it wouldn't be long before someone noticed it had gone missing. But now that Wormtail was inside Mad-Eye's office, there was another problem to consider: how he would get out again without being seen. He supposed that once he laid hands on the wand, he could Apparate out—last he'd heard, the Ministry's charms and wards still allowed one to appear and disappear from within its walls. And if the wand only harmed the holder if said holder happened to be Sirius Black, then Wormtail would be fine once he got out of the Ministry.

It was another hour or so before the Head Auror decided to call it a night. He went through his nightly routine of making certain all his files and drawers were locked, glanced quickly around the office with both eyes, and paused suddenly when he came to the filing cabinet. After staring directly at Wormtail for a moment, he turned away, muttering something about "damn rodents," before shutting off the light and closing and locking the door.

Wormtail remained where he was for a few minutes to make certain Mad-Eye wasn't coming back while trying to work out the best strategy to get Sirius' wand. There couldn't be many places the Head Auror would have put it; other than the filing cabinet, there were only a few more drawers in the entire office and those were located in Mad-Eye's desk. With the knowledge that Mad-Eye wasn't likely to have left his office completely open to thieves, and the further knowledge that once Wormtail got a hold of the wand, he could erase most of his tracks, the rat left his corner behind the filing cabinet and moved to the middle of the room. After taking a few deep breaths to stifle the voice in his mind that told him not to do this, Wormtail began his first transformation into human form in nearly five years. But as much as he wanted, he couldn't spend too long in this form; the longer he procrastinated, the more likely it became that he would be caught. With this thought firmly in place, Peter Pettigrew moved around Mad-Eye's desk and began opening drawers. He didn't expect to open one and find Sirius' wand—that would be far too easy. Besides, he'd already spotted a drawer that was a likely candidate to be home to wands belonging to Death Eaters—the bottom desk drawer on the right side had about a dozen locks all in a row. All that was needed now was a key.

Inside a secret compartment of the center drawer was a key ring. Wormtail stared at it, thinking this was too easy and very difficult at the same time. The large ring held about fifty identical keys. Mad-Eye could probably identify the correct one with a single glance, but had purposefully made it nearly impossible for someone else.

But Wormtail hadn't come this far to just give up because of a couple keys. He kneeled on the floor and began testing each key in each lock, one-by-one. It wasn't long before he figured out Mad-Eye's strategy for locating the key that he needed: just by bringing the key ring near the locks, Wormtail was able to quickly identify which keys belonged to which locks—the lock seemed the attract the key and when the key was used in the correct lock, both key and lock glowed bright white. The first few times this happened, Wormtail looked towards the office door, certain the light would have drawn the attention from any Aurors that remained in headquarters. When nobody blasted their way though the door, though, Wormtail knew he was safe for now.

One-by-one, he used a key in its corresponding lock, each time opening the drawer to find different items—spare ink and quills, classified files, books, even a cauldron fill of some sort of bluish smoky liquid. He reached the twelfth lock and knew this was it—this would be where he would find Sirius' wand. Without knowing he was doing it, he held his breath and tried to steady his shaking hand as he reached out the last glowing key to the last glowing lock. It seemed like slow motion: the key entered the lock smoothly, he turned the key without any resistance, he heard each of the lock's tumblers as the lock was being undone. He saw his hand reach out to pull the drawer open once again, his face began to sweat and his heart rate increased. He didn't seem to have any control over the speed at which the drawer was opened—though his mind kept telling his hand to move quicker, his hand continued to work at a painfully slow pace.

Finally the drawer was open. Wormtail felt his stomach drop somewhere around his feet when his mind registered what his eyes were seeing: it wasn't a stack of wands; it was Mad-Eye Moody's candy stash. The only wands in this drawer were made from licorice.

Wormtail's jaw dropped open. After all that—faking his death for the second time, framing Sirius again, sneaking into the Ministry and going through all those bloody keys... In his frustration, the wizard kicked one of the legs of the desk. It was nearly a minute before he realized his kick had activated something: there was a secret compartment in the drawer that popped up under the mounds of candy. Wormtail scooted forward and pushed the candy off the compartment door. When opened, it contained real wands. Grinning, Wormtail began searching for the one that had once belonged to Sirius. The search didn't take more than a minute; beneath all the loose wands Mad-Eye had collected during various battles throughout his career was a long box. Once opened, Wormtail could see it contained a nearly perfect-looking wand—the single imperfection was a long scratch on its side that had been the result of Moony's claws during a full moon night back at Hogwarts.

With still shaking hands, Wormtail reached out to pick up the wooden tube. He half-expected to be cursed the moment the wand touched his skin; after nothing happened, Wormtail marveled at how simple this had been before standing and preparing to erase every trace of himself from the office. He used charms the Marauders had taught themselves at Hogwarts to help avoid detentions after a prank, as well as charms and spells he'd learned after becoming a Death Eater. Once satisfied that he would be miles away before anyone figured out who'd actually stolen the wand, Wormtail looked around the office again to make certain he hadn't overlooked anything, and Disapparated with a nearly silent _pop_.

* * *

**AN: **More Harry next chapter. Hope everyone is still enjoying. Please keep reviewing!


	9. Nine

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Nine_

Harry woke up suddenly in his bed, shivering violently, but sweating heavily at the same time. He'd had bad nightmares before, ones that made it hard to sleep afterwards, but nothing as terrifying as this one. He stared around his bedroom, the golden snitch nightlight in the outlet just beside his desk not bringing nearly enough comfort as it should. Every shadow in his room was a monster that would eat him the moment his feet touched the carpet. And in his closet was something worse—something that would devour every happy thought he'd ever had.

In his terror, Harry swore he saw the closet door being pushed open just a bit and a bony hand curl around it. Not wanting to see any more of the thing-in-the-closet, Harry mustered up every bit of courage he possessed, and in one swift movement, threw his blankets away from him, and bolted to his door. He pulled it open and once across the threshold between the hallway and his bedroom, he felt a little safer. But he could still hear the closet door creaking open inch-by-inch and the thing-in-the-closet, angry that Harry had gotten away, stepping out to chase the boy.

Harry quickly made his way down the hall to where Remus and Emmeline slept. After opening that door, slipping in, and shutting it quietly, his imagination showed the thing-in-the-closet retreating back into the shadows in defeat.

Harry climbed up on their bed between them and lay down. Though he'd tried not to wake Remus and Emmeline, his attempts to crawl under their blankets did. Remus rolled over and slowly opened his eyes. His eyebrow rose when he spotted Harry. "What're you doing?" he asked tiredly.

"There was something in my closet," Harry responded quietly, not wanting to wake Emmeline too. "It was trying to eat me, so I came in here."

Remus sighed and nodded. "All right," he said, his head falling back to his pillow.

Just as Remus was falling asleep again, Harry asked, "Could I have some water, please?"

The wizard opened one bleary eye and after a few moments, he nodded. "Sure, Harry," he murmured, getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen. While he waited, Harry looked around the room. His eyes locked on the window and he was suddenly seeing those shadows again. He knew nothing would hurt him while he was with Remus and Emmeline, but he couldn't understand why the shadows seemed to be right outside the window, even though their flat was so high up. Remus returned, trying and failing to stifle a large yawn as he handed Harry a glass of water. "Now they're outside _your_ window," the boy said calmly before taking a deep sip.

Again, Remus raised an eyebrow. He glanced over at the window, not expecting to see anything, and saw Harry's shadows. Cautiously, he went to the window, pulled the curtain aside, and looked out. Harry watched him closely, noting that what was outside didn't seem to scare Remus in the least. The wizard sighed heavily and closed the curtains before turning back to Harry. "Are you going to be able to sleep with them out there?" he asked, making his way to the bed.

"Yeah," Harry said, handing Remus the rest of his water. Remus put it on the bedside table. "What are they?"

Remus stared at the ceiling, letting Harry curl up next to him while he pondered his answer. Harry was falling asleep again when Remus finally replied, and his child's mind translated the unknown word into one that made sense to him: "Demons."

* * *

When Remus woke later that morning, Harry was long gone, probably watching cartoons with Emmeline. One of the first things he did when getting out of bed was to go check the sidewalk outside to make certain the only beings on it were the ones that belonged there. As he was beginning to register that everything was normal, Emmeline entered the room.

"Morning, sunshine," she said. "Couldn't help but notice you slept in later than usual—I was just coming in to make sure you were still breathing." Remus raised an eyebrow and started to look for the alarm clock. "It's just after eleven. Did you notice the bed was a little fuller last night?"

He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "He woke me up, actually," he told her. "Nightmares... And I figured out what caused them..."

"What's that?"

"Dementors," he said dully. "Half a dozen by my count, all hovering around the streets. It was enough to give anyone nightmares."

Emmeline sighed and nodded. "They've been all over the country for months; I knew it would only be a matter of time before they wandered our way."

"Yeah..." Remus said. "Is Harry all right this morning?"

"Perfectly fine," she said. "He's been bouncing off the walls since seven, calmed down a bit when Michael got up, then got back to it when Michael left."

Chuckling, Remus stood and followed Emmeline out of the room. "It still amazes me that your brother, as great an Auror as he claims to be, still hasn't realized he's being lied to."

She shrugged. "My other brother Thomas and I spent the majority of our free time lying to Michael; if he hasn't figured it out by now, he never will, until one of us tells him the truth. Besides, the only thing we're really hiding is Harry's identity, and Michael isn't really here enough to realize something isn't right—he goes to the Ministry, doesn't come back until late... Believe me, this is the best arrangement for Michael staying with us that we could ask for."

"I believe you," Remus said, grinning and sitting beside Harry on the sofa. "So what're we doing today?"

Harry paused from his coloring book for a moment and thought, but as he began to speak, there was a loud siren noise throughout the flat. Harry quickly dropped his crayons and clapped his hands to his ears while the adults went to investigate. "What is that?" Harry tried to shot over the noise.

Remus went to the door and looked through the peephole before turning to Emmeline. He tried to tell her something, but he couldn't even hear himself over the noise. Rolling his eyes, he muttered a quick charm and made a downward swipe with his wand, and the siren finally stopped. "It's Mad-Eye," he said calmly, his ears ringing.

Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "Why would he be here? I thought Dumbledore told everyone not to come here..."

"I don't know, but it's definitely him—I don't know many people with an eyeball that spins around in their head," Remus said dryly, turning to undo the locking charms that would have been activated when the siren went off. They were set to activate when anyone magical and not escorted by Remus or Emmeline came to the door. Remus pulled open the door and was nearly knocked over when Mad-Eye entered. "Hello to you too, Mad-Eye," Remus muttered, closing the door again.

"No time for chat," the other wizard growled, looking all over the flat. "Heard anything from Dumbledore?"

"About what?" Emmeline asked with a raised eyebrow. Remus noticed Harry trying to hide from Mad-Eye behind her—Remus sent him a reassuring wink.

"Bloody thing's gone," Mad-Eye said, his eye spinning all around in its socket. "Without a bloody trace."

"Harry, why don't you go play in your room for a bit," Emmeline said.

"'Kay," Harry said shyly, seemingly relieved to get away from the Auror.

Once Harry was out of earshot, Remus said. "What's gone, Mad-Eye?"

"Black's wand," Mad-Eye grunted. "Got in my office this morning—Dumbledore wanted to have a look at it, so I went to take it out to get it ready. Someone, and I have a damn good guess as to who, got in my office last night." His face seemed to darken and he began to mutter. The only words Remus could make out were "gonna kill Black..."

Remus could only blink. Dozens of questions erupted in his mind, fighting to be asked first, and the one that beat the others was, "And why are you coming to us?"

"It's what Dumbledore said to do... He should be along shortly..."

Emmeline nodded slowly. "Why don't you have a seat, Mad-Eye? Would you care for anything to drink?"

Mad-Eye sat. "No," he grunted, taking out his hipflask and drinking deeply.

Emmeline looked at Remus and jerked her head towards the kitchen. He took the hint and followed her in. "Is it just me," she began quietly, "or does Mad-Eye seem a little scarier than usual?"

Remus snorted a laugh. "Indeed he does... My question, though, is why Sirius would send us a letter asking us to test his wand, and the night before it's to be tested, he decides to steal it?"

"That occurred to me as well," she said.

There was another knock on the door and Mad-Eye announced from his seat, "It's Dumbledore."

The Headmaster entered and took a seat next to the Auror. Remus and Emmeline sat as well, and the four old friends looked from one another for some time before Dumbledore finally broke the silence. "It would seem, my friends, that we have quite the problem on our hands," he said rather lightly. "Before my arrival here, I had a chance to review the charmed surveillance footage from Alastor's office."

"Was it Sirius?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "I do not know." Remus looked over to see Mad-Eye's reaction to this, but it seemed he'd blocked out the entire discussion. "All that could be seen in the footage was a black shape, resembling a shadow, that lacked any sort of definite form."

"So it could've been anybody?" Emmeline asked. "There wasn't any other evidence?"

"Whomever it was that broke into Alastor's office did so quite well," Dumbledore said dully. "The only spot of luck we have had thus far was the discovery of trace amounts of Apparition tracks. We have yet to discover _where_ our suspect has gone, but at least we have a clue."

Not bothering to try to keep it from Mad-Eye—he would find out sooner or later if he didn't already know—Remus asked, "What about Sirius' letter, sir? I don't understand why he would have sent it to me, wanting to prove his innocence, when he's planning on stealing his wand anyway."

Dumbledore nodded. "There are several possibilities: he could have been attempting to divert our attention for the time being or our thief could have been someone else entirely."

Mad-Eye and Dumbledore remained for about another half an hour before declaring they were heading back to the Ministry to see if there were any more clues to be found. Once they were gone, Remus and Emmeline sat on the sofa together, staring at one another, both speechless.

"It doesn't make sense," Remus finally muttered.

"You've been saying that for an hour," Emmeline said dully. "But what can we do? Dumbledore's already said there isn't any way to tell if Sirius was in Mad-Eye's office..."

"No, that's not what I mean," Remus said, shaking his head. "There isn't a way Sirius could have gotten into Mad-Eye's office last night. Didn't Dumbledore say that Mad-Eye's got charms over the wand to keep Sirius from getting it? How would Sirius have been able to touch it without attracting the entire Ministry?"

"Maybe he used wandless magic," Emmeline suggested. "Or Polyjuice potion."

Remus gave her a look. "And how would Sirius have gotten a hold of Polyjuice potion?" He sighed. "Besides, he doesn't need it to keep himself hidden," he said, averting his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

He looked gave her a sidelong glance, knowing he had no choice but to tell her the truth. Still, he wanted to avoid her reaction for as long as possible. "Let's just say Sirius, James, and Peter figured out a good way to disguise themselves."

"And you weren't involved in this disguising?"

"I didn't need to be; I already had my disguise..."

Her other eyebrow rose. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed and finally looked at her, taking a deep breath before speaking. "SiriusisanAnimagus," he said in one quick, short breath.

Emmeline blinked. He watched her as she tried to work through what he said—it didn't take long before her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "What?" she said quietly, her eyes narrowed.

He nodded. "As were James and Peter," he said. "They started the process in second year after they found out that I'm a werewolf. They wanted to become Animagi in order to keep me company on full moon nights."

"Bloody hell, Remus!" she said rather loudly. "You've known this the entire time and you're just now telling me?"

He gave her a half shrug. "It was a secret," he said, knowing immediately how childish his response sounded. He also realized that if he didn't say something else within the next few seconds, her wand would leave the coffee table—her fingers were inching closer and closer to it. "I didn't tell you, because... well, I don't know why..." he said. "I became so accustomed with keeping what they'd done a secret that I couldn't tell you—it was the same with Dumbledore and everyone else who questioned me about Sirius. Telling someone that he's an Animagus would have been betraying him."

Emmeline's eyes widened. "Remus, _he_ betrayed _us!_ He gave Lily and James to Voldemort—have you forgotten about that?"

"No, of course not..." He sighed. "I can't explain it."

"What kind of Animagus is he?" she asked after a few minutes of glaring at him. "What's his form?"

"A big black dog," he told her automatically. "Looks like a grim, actually. James was a stag and Peter was a rat. James and Sirius were large enough to keep me in line on full moon nights—we would wander the school grounds all night. Eventually we felt brave enough to expand to Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest."

She nodded slowly, watching him closely. "Remember just after graduation when we were all in Diagon Alley, and Lily and I were in Madam Malkin's trying on new robes?" A grin started playing around his lips. "Do you remember that dog that came in the dressing rooms while we were changing?"

He'd tried not laughing, but the memory of the event was too much. When calmed himself from his loud laughter, he looked over at Emmeline's increasingly red face—whether it was from embarrassment or anger, he wasn't sure... Most likely, it was both. "Yes, that was Sirius," he said, trying to stop the snickering. "And that was the reason James, Sirius, Peter, and I disappeared for about half an hour after that—we were trying to stop laughing long enough that neither of you figured out exactly what had happened."

She was not amused. Her glare only hardened as she recalled another memory. "And that stag that was outside my window during summer before sixth year... The one that scared the hell out of me and I nearly cursed."

He nodded. "James."

"Would you care to tell me what Peter did to me or shall I continue remembering traumatizing events that you and your friends have done to me?" she said flatly.

His lips were twitching dangerously, but to his immense relief, Harry came out before he had to think of a response that wouldn't get him cursed to China and back. "Who was that man?" the boy asked, climbing up on the sofa between the adults and leaning against Emmeline.

The witch continued to glare at Remus for a few moments before responding. "That was Alastor Moody," she told him, running her hands through his hair. "He's an Auror and an old friend of mine and Remus'."

"Oh," Harry said. "His eye was scary. It kept moving around and staring at me."

This broke the tension that had been in the room before. "It scares a lot of people, kiddo," Remus said, chuckling. "How's Bruce doing with his cartwheels?"

"Not too good," Harry said with a sigh. "His arms are too short, I think."

Remus nodded seriously. "That would make it difficult for anyone to do a cartwheel."

Harry shrugged. "I wanna teach him to walk on stilts next."

Emmeline chuckled. "I think we can find some toothpicks for him... Come on, let's go see."

He and Emmeline went into the kitchen and Remus remained on the sofa. Nothing about Sirius seemed to be adding up, at least not in Remus' mind. Everything from the wand, to the things Petunia told them, to his escape and his arrest. The one thing that had been nagging at the back of his mind was Petunia telling him and Remus that Harry's godfather had not been the one to keep the secret. He'd assumed she'd meant the secret was the location of the Potters. If Petunia had been correct, Sirius hadn't been Secret-Keeper. And if Sirius hadn't been Secret-Keeper, who had been? Remus certainly hadn't been approached about it and if Emmeline had been, he was certain she would have mentioned it.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. They were the same exact thoughts that he'd been thinking for months and still, no answers supplied themselves. The only solution to his questions that he could think of was to find Sirius. But finding a wizard who knew how to keep himself hidden wasn't even the most difficult part of the task: it was convincing his mind that the man before him deserved to be heard out rather than sent back to the dementors. No matter what doubts Remus was beginning to have about Sirius' guilt, over the past four years, his mind had decided Sirius had killed his friends and his happiness, and that Sirius deserved whatever he had coming to him.

_But if I'm wrong about all of this—if we're all wrong—I'll have to rethink everything,_ he told himself. _Until then, though, I'll have to go on wondering. Besides there's no use thinking about this right now — nothing's going to change between now and Christmas, unless Sirius is captured. And this will be the first Christmas in years that I actually have a chance at not being depressed._

With this thought in firmly in place, Remus forced all previous thoughts of Sirius into the back of his mind and got up to see how Emmeline was going to get a turtle to walk on stilts.

* * *

_**Ministry of Magic Break-in!**_

_Two nights ago, it has been reported that the office of Head Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was the target of thieves. While it is not being said what was taken, sources within the Ministry have told the _Daily Prophet_ that the Head Auror has, in the past, collected wands belonging to dark wizards he has battled—including wands belonging to followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, commonly referred to as Death Eaters. At the time of this article's printing, no suspect has yet been named; however, it is believed to be the work of Sirius Black..._

* * *

Sirius sighed, having gotten sick of being blamed for things he hadn't done—the _Daily Prophet_ had been sitting on the kitchen table after Arthur had finished with it, and the dog had snuck it into the sitting room. Molly would find it during her daily cleaning, wonder about it momentarily, and then forget about it when Fred and George undoubtedly caused some sort of ruckus.

Since Wormtail's disappearance, the Weasley home had gone somewhat back to normal—Percy refused to even acknowledge Snuffles anymore, and kept his conversations with Ron short and brisk. Though none of the other Weasley children dared tease Percy about the loss of his pet to his face, in private, each one of them had congratulated Sirius in one way or another. Mostly their congratulations were only for getting Percy to pretend the majority of his siblings didn't exist. Percy would still converse with Bill and Charlie—neither of them had been present when Scabbers had been eaten, after all. It didn't seem to matter that Fred, George, and Ginny had nothing to do with his pet's disappearance; Percy still blamed them on some level.

But as Christmas approached, Percy's loathing for Ron's dog seemed to diminish just a little. The Weasley family was hard at work getting their home decorated—Ron was helping Ginny make a paper ring chain; the twins were making popcorn strings, though Sirius was certain more of the popcorn was getting into their mouths or thrown around the room at their family than it was on the string; Percy, Bill, and Charlie were helping to sort through Christmas tree decorations, while Molly and Arthur used their wands to hang lights. They'd even attempted to decorate Sirius for the holiday. Ron had found a pair of reindeer antlers to stick on the dog's head and even though Sirius tried over and over again to shake them off and hide them, Ron always found them and stuck them back on. The boy had even threatened to get Fred and George to make them stick if Sirius shook them off again—Sirius had enough sense and understanding of the evil Fred and George could possess when they wanted, and after envisioning himself with reindeer antlers stuck to his head for the rest of his life, he finally allowed Ron to put the antlers back on and he had yet to shake them off again.

When the Weasley children weren't forcing him to wear things and the excitement in the Burrow died down a little, Sirius' mind drifted. He wondered where Wormtail had decided to go to hide and whether he'd been the one to steal Sirius' wand—it couldn't have been coincidence that only days following the rat's disappearance, the wand went missing as well. Sirius hoped he had stolen it. And he also hoped Mad-Eye figured it out—Wormtail would be lucky if he was able to breathe after stealing from the Head Auror. He also wondered about Remus and Emmeline and Harry. He'd come to the conclusion—whether it was true or not—that his two old friends, wherever they were, they were together. He wondered whether either of them was the least bit curious about the letter Sirius had sent—had they gotten word about Mad-Eye's office being broken into? Remus was a loyal reader of the _Daily Prophet_ and always had been, so if they didn't know before now, it would only be a matter of time before one of them picked up the wizarding newspaper. Sirius further wondered how his godson was. He had no concept of how Harry was treated with the Dursleys, but if his brief meetings with Lily's sister and brother-in-law were any indication, Harry wasn't exactly welcome. Ever since his arrest, Sirius hoped either Remus or Emmeline would get custody of the boy he knew it was a long shot, since Dumbledore seemed to be in charge of where Harry would live, and when Dumbledore set his mind to something, it wasn't exactly easy to change his plans.

Once Sirius' mind wandered to these topics, he tried to come up with his next plan. With Wormtail gone and his wand gone with him, Sirius' chance of declaring himself innocent had all but disappeared. Now that the entire wizarding world believed Sirius bold enough to break in and steal his wand back from Mad-Eye, things could only get more difficult for him—until there was some way to prove he hadn't done anything wrong, that was. And once again, the only way to prove he hadn't done what they said he had was to find Wormtail. Even then it was a long shot. Wormtail had proved time and time again that he wasn't as ignorant as many people believed him to be—he had now outsmarted one of the top students in their year at Hogwarts twice. And Sirius wasn't naïve enough to think that if Wormtail had taken his wand, he hadn't used it. The chance of using Priori Incantatem had long gone.

_There's always Veritaserum,_ his mind told him.

_Yeah, but that's so easy to get around it's completely useless in a situation like this—even if Wormtail sat still long enough for someone to make him swallow a few drops, there's no guarantee the Ministry will actually believe it. They're so convinced I'm guilty that it'll make them look like idiots if they admitted they were wrong._

_What about withdrawing the memory of him becoming Lily and James' Secret-Keeper? There isn't any way to get around that._

He scoffed at his own mind. _Yeah, I can just see Wormtail letting me get close enough to take a memory from him. He's got a wand—my wand—and I've got nothing._

_Who says it's got to be you who takes the memory?_

Sirius didn't have a reply to that. His mind had a good point and he couldn't find any good excuses to dispute it—even though Wormtail had a wand, it wasn't his wand, so it wasn't going to work nearly so well for him as it would for Sirius. Anyone could overtake him—Dumbledore, Remus, Emmeline, Mad-Eye—and they could take the memory from him. Besides, Wormtail hadn't exactly ever been the best dueler—any time there had been a duel during school or afterwards, it was a rarity for him to escape without injuries.

The problem now wasn't just finding Wormtail, it was convincing his old friends that he was innocent and he should be given a chance to prove so. Now that his leverage with the wand had gone, he couldn't think of anything that would possibly be enough to keep him out of Azkaban to explain anything.

"Come on, Snuffles!" Ron was saying. Sirius looked away from Bill who was holding Ginny up in the air so she could see the top of their Christmas tree. "We're gonna go build snowmen and Dad says he might charm one to play tag with us later."

Sirius snorted a laugh to himself and got up, following the Weasley children outside. For the time being, he decided during an impromptu snowball fight, he wouldn't worry about Wormtail or his next plan. He would still be on the lookout for any signs that the traitor was trying to set him up, but until he found the best chance of proving himself innocent, there wasn't much of anything he could do anyway. Besides, Wormtail couldn't be lucky for the rest of his life; at one point or another, he would slip up, and once he did, Sirius would be right there to catch him.

* * *

Today was a stressful day for Emmeline. Michael was returning to America for a few days to spend Christmas with his wife and daughter, but before he left, he was determined to convince his sister to come with him. Luckily, she'd come up with an excuse that she had to remain in the area to help out her supervisor at the Ministry—since the break-in at Auror Headquarters, she'd said, the Minister of Magic had been increasingly worried about the protections around the Ministry building. Most of this was the truth—Bagnold was worried about the wards and charms around the Ministry, but Emmeline had nothing to do with the work to fix the problem.

Finally, Michael had accepted her reasoning for wanting to remain in London during the holidays. He was currently packing up his bags before catching a portkey to the American Ministry of Magic. Emmeline was in the living room with Harry, trying to keep him from complaining about his glamour charm—over the last few days, he'd been saying his disguise was itchy. She'd tried to explain to him that there wasn't any way for a glamour charm to be itchy, but Harry was insistent that he didn't want to wear it anymore. Once Michael was out of the flat, Emmeline could take the charm off—Harry had been stuck in it more often than not lately; she and Remus had taken to waking up before Harry in the mornings and placing the glamour charms on him before he even opened his eyes.

"When's Remus coming back?" Harry asked, flipping through one of Emmeline's magical creature books.

"It shouldn't be too much longer, hon. He had to go see Professor Dumbledore for a little bit," she added quietly.

Michael had yet to realize how close Remus and Emmeline were to the Headmaster, and they'd decided early on that it would be best to keep it between them. Michael had always suspected his younger sister to be involved with Dumbledore's fight to defeat Voldemort and his followers, but he'd never come out and asked her about it and she wasn't sure how to answer if he ever did. He'd always underestimated Emmeline's strength and power, and any time there was any sort of trouble when they were younger, Michael always stepped in to protect her, or to tell her to go back in the house until the trouble passed.

_And it only got worse after Dad died..._ she thought, feeling the memories of her father's death trying to force themselves towards the front of her mind. Michael had taken his death harder than Emmeline or Thomas, or even their mother. He was still far from over it, and Emmeline doubted he ever would be. It was difficult for her to think about when she did let her mind wander to that night, but she'd learned long ago that it was easier not to dwell on that one moment of time and to instead think about the time she'd had with her father.

"I'm bored," Harry said with a sigh as he set aside the book.

Emmeline smiled. "Well, when Remus gets home with the Christmas tree you can amuse yourself by helping us decorate."

His face lit up. "Really?" She nodded. "Cool!"

While most people would be amused at a child's eagerness to decorate a Christmas tree, Emmeline had a feeling Harry had never been allowed to participate in any of the usual holiday traditions. Neither she nor Remus believed Harry had ever had a proper Christmas—at least not since he had gone to live with his aunt and uncle. The two of them had been taking turns going to Diagon Alley and a few Muggle shops to buy him presents, and they'd stuffed everything in Emmeline's closet. If anymore presents were purchased for the boy, he would be still opening them on New Year's Day.

"Well, I'll be off," Michael announced, coming into the living room with his bags.

Emmeline tried to hide her eagerness as she stood up. "Have a good trip and a Happy Christmas," she said, hugging her brother. "And of course, give my love to Thomas."

He gave her a smile. "I will." He turned to Harry. "Have a good Christmas, Jamie," he said, sticking out a hand for Harry to shake. Emmeline could see the boy fighting not to roll his eyes as he shook Michael's hand. The wizard turned back to his sister. "I should be back just after the new year. Alastor has been discussing sending teams to Azkaban in an attempt to retrace Black's steps in the hopes of discovering where he's gone."

_Like that'll work,_ Emmeline thought to herself, knowing better than to stay it aloud. Michael seemed to have made the decision that he would somehow be the one to catch Sirius—Emmeline thought he was more full of himself than he realized. Remus had said a number of times since Michael came to stay with them that he would be quite willing to burst the Auror's ego, and while Emmeline would love to see that, she knew that it would not end very well at all.

"You should get moving if your portkey leaves in thirty minutes," she finally said, walking her brother to the door.

When the door opened, the Vance siblings were faced with a doorway full of green pine tree. "Remus?" Emmeline checked.

There was a noise of someone spitting what she assumed to be pine needles out of their mouth. "Em?"

She chuckled and backed up a little. "Here, we'll help you get that inside..."

Michael set down his bags and with Emmeline's help, Remus was able to guide their Christmas tree into the flat without knocking anything over. He set it down against a wall and turned around, and Emmeline was fighting not to laugh. He was covered in pine needles—his hair had turned from slightly grey to mostly green and he had somehow gotten covered in tree sap.

"Did you cut this thing down yourself?" she asked, watching him shake his clothes free of the needles.

"No," he said, "but it's much more difficult to Apparate with a pine tree than you'd think..."

Michael chuckled. "I've had that experience before as well. I had sap in places you wouldn't believe for several weeks."

"Oh, I would believe it," Remus said darkly, shifting uncomfortably. "In fact, I think I need a shower. Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I've got to make dinner at Thomas' this evening, so I've decided to take an earlier portkey out of London," Michael responded.

Remus nodded. "Well, have a good trip," he said, sticking out his right hand, then withdrawing it, it being covered in sap, and gave Michael his left hand. "And have a happy Christmas."

Michael returned the sentiment and picked up his bags again. "I'll see you all after the new year."

Emmeline gave her brother another hug before he left. Once he'd gone, she closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep breath. "Well, round one has ended..."

Remus chuckled. "And round two won't begin for at least ten days, so go relax for a change. I'll grab my shower and try to get some of this tree sap off, then we'll start setting up the tree."

Harry cheered as Remus went to the bathroom and Emmeline began undoing his glamour charm. She was looking forward to a nice, calm week and a half without having to worry about someone figuring out that the Boy-Who-Lived was now living with her and Remus, but she was mostly looking forward to her first Christmas in four years where she wouldn't have to feel guilty about feeling happy—she was determined not to be depressed and to make the most out of the holiday. And she couldn't think of any better way to have a wonderful Christmas than with her new family of Remus and Harry.


	10. Ten

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Ten_

On Christmas Eve, hours after Harry had gone to bed, Remus and Emmeline started bringing out all the presents they'd bought for him and stacked them neatly under the tree. The entire flat had gone through a Christmas makeover—lights were hung everywhere, garland covered the corners between the walls and ceiling, and the tree had been decorated beautifully from tip to trunk. Harry had been the one to decide how the tree would be dressed and he seemed to have more fun telling Remus and Emmeline where to put baubles and lights than he did the rest of the time he'd spent decorating. After dinner and before bed, Remus had read Harry _The Night Before Christmas_. Emmeline recalled Lily telling her that it had been a tradition for her father to read to the family every Christmas Eve. According to Harry, he'd heard it being read before by Petunia to Dudley, but he'd never been allowed to enjoy it. The closest he'd ever come had been last Christmas when he'd been out of his cupboard only long enough to use the bathroom.

"Is this everything?" Emmeline asked quietly, entering the living room with yet another tall stack of brightly wrapped gifts.

Remus looked around and thought. "I believe so," he said. "Unless you've hidden some in other places..."

"Even if I had, I think Harry's got enough stuff to keep him amused until his Hogwarts letter comes," she said, sitting beside Remus on the floor. He chuckled. "You don't think he'll get too spoiled with all this?"

He shrugged. "Who cares if he does?" he said, moving a few gifts around. "We have four Christmases to make up for. And besides, how many presents do you think the Dursleys gave him?"

"I agree with you. I was just checking..."

Once they'd finished arranging all the gifts, they stood back and looked at what they'd done. Again, Remus chuckled. "He's not going to know what to do with all these," he said.

Emmeline smiled and glanced at Remus, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "There is one thing missing, though," she said, frowning.

"What?" he asked, bending down to place a small box on top of a larger one.

"Your present," she said simply.

He turned and raised an eyebrow. "_My_ present?" he asked.

She nodded. "You didn't think I wouldn't get you anything, did you?"

He began to blush a little. "Well, I wasn't aware you and I were even exchanging gifts—I thought we were only shopping for Harry..."

"We were," she replied, shifting a little nervously. "But I saw this and thought you'd enjoy it..."

He nodded slowly, his brow furrowed. "Oh... okay, then..."

She smiled and headed to her room. While it was true that she and Remus hadn't discussed exchanging gifts, she'd always intended to get him something. She didn't expect anything in return—she knew Remus never had much money—but not having something to open on Christmas day if you could help it was almost criminal. Besides, Remus had been so great about coming up with stories to tell Michael that Emmeline felt it had been much more than enough to deserve a gift.

She pulled open the drawer on her bedside table and shifted around some papers to uncover a small package wrapped in shiny blue paper. When she reentered the living room, she found Remus sitting on the sofa with a light green package on his lap. She raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching. "I thought we hadn't discussed a gift exchange?" she teased, sitting beside him.

He shrugged. "I saw this and thought you'd enjoy it," he said, grinning.

She laughed as she sat down on the sofa beside him. "Should we wait until morning?"

Remus looked at the clock above the television and shrugged. "It's five minutes until Christmas day... Close enough for me..."

She rolled her eyes, chuckling as they handed each other their gifts. "On three, then?" He nodded, still grinning. "One... Two... Three..."

Like two overeager children, the two adults ripped apart the shining wrapping paper on their presents and stared at their gifts, both of them speechless. Emmeline had unwrapped her own smiling face holding a baby Harry as they sat between James and Lily. All four of the photograph's subjects seemed carefree and happier than Emmeline ever remembered being—it seemed so long ago that she'd still had her friends. The Emmeline in the photo was tickling Harry's tummy and Harry was giggling soundlessly while his parents watched fondly. Remus had placed the photo in a simple black picture frame for her.

She looked over at her friend, tears welling in her eyes, but a smile on her face. "Where did you get this?" she asked quietly, reaching up to wipe away a tear that fell.

"It was in a box with some other photos," he told her softly. "I've got so many, but it's been ages since I looked at them. I found this one last month when I'd gone home for the full moon, and I thought you should have it. I know it's not much, but..."

She shook her head, swallowing a lump in her throat as she looked back down at the picture. "It's perfect. Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

She set the picture and its frame on the coffee table so that the subjects in the photo were watching the goings on between Emmeline and Remus. "Your turn," she said, pointing at the mahogany box in his lap.

He gave her a small smile and reached out to flip the small golden latch that kept the box shut, opening it. He stared at the box's contents for several minutes before there was any sort of reaction from him. Finally, his mouth dropped open slightly. "Wow..." he whispered, reaching in to the box. He pulled out a rosewood chess piece. "Emmeline... You didn't have to do this..."

Emmeline smiled. She knew she didn't have to give him brand new chess pieces, but she thought he'd deserved something new. It had taken weeks for her to find the right chess set for him—she'd gone to several local wizarding shops, but none of the sets they'd had seemed exactly right for Remus. Finally, she'd gotten a hold of a friend in Scotland whose grandfather whittled chess pieces by hand, then used a closely guarded spell to bring them to life for wizard's chess. The chess pieces she'd given Remus had been specially made for him and on the bottom of each piece were his initials written in permanent, never-fading gold script.

"This must have cost you a fortune," Remus said quietly, looking over at her worriedly.

She only smiled again and shook her head. "Not really," she said. "I called in a favor to a friend and he was able to get them for me at a very decent price."

He was blushing a little and Emmeline was suddenly struck with how cute he looked when he blushed. "Thank you," he said a bit hoarsely. "This is the best present I've gotten in a very long time."

She grinned. "Even better than the year Sirius gave you a box of bowtruckles for your birthday?"

He snorted a laugh. "Much better," he said, chuckling. "At least your present isn't making me bleed..."

"Did that scar on your hand ever clear?"

He examined the bit of flesh on his right hand between his thumb and forefinger for a moment. She remembered one of the bowtruckles had attached its teeth there and hadn't let go even when Remus shook his hand violently. It had taken Lily using a spell to stun the creature before they could finally get it off his hand. "No, the scar is still there..." he said dully, setting his box of chess pieces on the coffee table. "And every time I see a bowtruckle, it throbs."

Emmeline's lips were twitching as she looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, we should get some sleep. I have this feeling Harry will be up before the sun, and we'll need some rest..."

He chuckled and nodded, looking again at the chess pieces she'd given him. After a few moments of thought, he smiled and stood. They shut off lights as they went, Emmeline leading the way down the hallway. But when Remus reached the room that Michael had been sleeping in for a month, he stopped. "I'll see you in the morning, then," he said quietly, opening the door.

"Oh," she said, feeling slightly disappointed. "You're not sleeping in my room?"

His brow furrowed. "I'd assumed not," he said slowly. "I thought once Michael had gone..."

She shrugged. "You're welcome to, if you want..." she said, feeling herself beginning to blush. "To be honest, I've gotten kind of used to having you there..."

"Er, okay, then..." Remus said, thinking deeply as he closed Michael's door again. They continued down the hallway to Emmeline's room. And all the while, she wondered why she'd said anything. It was true that she'd gotten used to sleeping beside Remus every night and she'd even slept better than she had since they'd come here. She felt comfortable next to him, like this was how her life should have been.

The two of them got ready for bed in silence, both caught up in their thoughts. Once in bed and the lights were turned off, Emmeline lay staring at the ceiling, listening as Remus fell asleep, wondering what he was thinking. When she finally drifted off to sleep, she was dreaming about a different sort of life, one in which Remus had never backed out of their dates when they'd been at Hogwarts.

* * *

While most of the world slept peacefully, their dreams pleasant and happy, a large black dog crept silently through the dark halls of the Burrow. He'd learned over the last few months exactly where to step to keep the floorboards from creaking, and tonight he was being extra cautious to avoid detection—he'd finally thought of a way to get a clue to Remus and Emmeline. Whether they did anything with it or even figured out what it meant was up to them, but Sirius had faith that no matter how odd he thought it was, Remus wouldn't just write it off. And the more clues and hints he received, the more likely Remus was to dig more deeply into Sirius' innocence.

The dog moved cautiously down the stairs, carefully skipped the loudest creaking step—the one Fred and George always got caught on—and entered the sitting room. In here, he hesitated and took several deep breaths before beginning the transformation from canine to human. Once finished, he held his breath and listened very closely for any sounds that suggested a Weasley had heard him and was now getting up to investigate. After several minutes of listening to gurgling pipes and muffled groans from the ghoul in the attic, Sirius finally decided it safe enough to proceed. He moved quickly to the bookshelf and pulled down a photo album of the Weasley children. He'd only known where to find what he was looking for because he'd been watching Molly flip through its pages a few days ago, looking for a particular picture of one of the boys. Sirius sat on the sofa closest to the window so that the light from the half moon shone in to help him see, and began searching. More than once he froze, certain he'd just heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and every time this happened, he was absolutely certain his heart had momentarily stopped beating. It took some time, and he'd passed it three times, but Sirius finally found the photo he was looking for. Carefully, he reached out to slide it out from between the page and its protected plastic cover, cringing every time the plastic crinkled—to him, it sounded like a bomb going off right beside him. Though it seemed to take an eternity, Sirius finally got the photo out. He hastily closed the album and shoved it back into the bookshelf before heading to the kitchen.

On the counter, he found a self-inking quill Molly had been using to write down a grocery list and her wand—she'd been so distracted after her children had gone to bed while she and Arthur were putting out Christmas gifts that she'd forgotten to take it upstairs with her. Before writing a message to Remus on the back of the photo, Sirius used Molly's wand to cast a silent charm over the photo to ensure there was no way Remus could magically track the photo back to the Burrow. Sirius was certain that if Remus did a little digging, he would find out who the main subject of the photo was with hardly any problem. He just didn't want Remus showing up during Christmas dinner, ready to curse Sirius without knowing a bit more.

The charm had been completed and all that remained to do was a note to his old friend. It took him a few moments to think of something suitable, and he finally decided on something short and to the point. After a quick postscript, Sirius set the quill back down on the counter, now looking for an envelope to send the photo in. He found one in a drawer by the backdoor, quickly scribbled Remus' name on the front, and slid the photo inside. Now all he had to do was wait for the family owl, Errol, to come back from his nightly hunt.

Nearly two hours later, as Sirius was starting to fall asleep at the kitchen table, he heard the flapping of wings and jumped up, going to the window that had been left open for the bird. Errol landed on the windowsill and eyed Sirius suspiciously. Ever since Sirius had come to the Burrow, Errol had been very untrusting of him. It seemed even an owl who constantly flew into the window and probably sustained daily concussions could still tell Sirius wasn't what he seemed. _Good thing he can't talk..._ Sirius thought approaching Errol. "I've got another letter for you, mate," he told the owl quietly, showing Errol the envelope. Reluctantly, it seemed Errol took the photo between his beak. "Get that to Remus Lupin as quickly as you can."

Before leaving, Errol gave a muffled hoot, turned around, and took off. Sirius watched him until he disappeared into the night. He sighed heavily, knowing his innocence once again hinged on someone else's actions. If Remus decided to ignore the photo for whatever reason, Sirius would have to come up with another way to prove he wasn't guilty, and he was getting to the point of desperation—if this plan failed, he would have to find Remus, corner him, and try to tell him the truth without being cursed.

The family clock chimed three o'clock in the morning, startling Sirius out of his thoughts. He transformed back into his Animagus form and made his way back to Ron's room. As he circled around on Ron's bed to curl up and go to sleep, he wondered how long it would be before Errol returned and how long before Remus had a chance to sit down and study the photo. His sleep was uneasy and when the sun rose, he was woken up by Ron as the boy practically flew out of bed.

"Come on, Snuffles!" he said, pushing the dog slightly to wake him up. "It's Christmas!"

Inwardly, Sirius groaned, having only gotten about an hour's worth of sleep before sliding off the bed to follow Ron down to the sitting room.

* * *

Christmas day that year was the best Remus had experienced since his own childhood, when his father had bought him his very own broomstick. Granted, it had been purchased secondhand, as most of his things had been after his infection, and the first time Remus had attempted to ride it he'd been bucked off ten feet in the air and had sustained a fractured rib and a broken arm, but it was one of the few times his parents had been able to give him something that wasn't falling apart completely.

When he woke, his first thought was that daylight was still hours away, and his second thought was that the pillow he was hugging to his chest was oddly shaped, warm, and breathing. Finally, his senses were beginning to return to him and he realized the pillow was actually Emmeline—sometime during the night, he and Emmeline had both shifted from their usual spots on the opposite edges of the bed to much closer than Remus would have dared if he'd been awake. Just as he was beginning to pull his arm from out from under her, Emmeline began to stir and as a result, Remus froze and watched wide-eyed as Emmeline's own eyes opened and she rolled over onto her back, looking directly at him.

"Er, good morning," he said awkwardly, his voice cracking a little. "Happy Christmas."

It took a few moments for Emmeline to realize the position they were in and Remus was certain he saw the exact moment when her mind clicked into place—her eyes widened and darted this way and that, avoiding his. "Good morning," she said, sounding and looking quite confused. "Have you been awake long?"

He shook his head, feeling his face heat up in a deep blush. "No," he said quietly. "A few minutes, I suppose..." _Though it seems like so much longer... _his mind added.

The two of them remained in the same position—Remus' arm in a seemingly perfectly sized curve of her back and their faces mere inches from each other. "Er, perhaps we should go get Harry up so he can open his presents," she eventually said, looking both uncomfortable and reluctant to move at the same time. After muttering that she was going to take a quick shower, Emmeline practically flew from the bed to the bathroom, leaving Remus' left arm—the one that had been under here for god knows how long—feeling strangely cold.

After rolling over to his back and staring at the ceiling for a few moments, thinking about how comfortable it had felt to wake up the way he had, he got out of bed and headed out to the kitchen, pausing momentarily to look at the lighted Christmas tree and the pile of presents whose wrappings would soon be scattered all over the living room. Looking forward to the look on Harry's face when he saw the stack of toys and things, Remus continued on to the kitchen and began making coffee for himself and Emmeline. Emmeline finally came into the kitchen as he began pouring the hot liquid into mugs for them. Neither of them said a word as they drank their beverages.

Following that awkward ten minutes, Emmeline muttered that she was going to go wake Harry. Remus nodded and took her coffee cup to wash it along with his. He made his way to the living room, smiling when he sat down in front of the chess pieces Emmeline had gotten him. He thought about his old set of chess pieces, the one his father had given him when was thirteen and which were now crumbling to dust with the slightest hit from another chess piece.

He heard footsteps in the hallway and turned to see Harry, barely awake, being led into the living room by Emmeline. The boy's eyes widened as he laid eyes on the Christmas tree and the huge piles of presents. "Whoa..." he whispered. He looked from Emmeline to Remus. "A-are those for me?"

Remus smiled. "No, they're for me," he said jokingly. Harry stuck his tongue out at the wizard. "Of course they're for you..."

Harry dropped Emmeline's hand and slowly walked over to the presents, staring at them in awe.

"Well," Emmeline said, sitting on the floor next to him, "what are you waiting for?"

Harry grinned shyly before reaching out for the smallest package on top of the nearest stack to his shaking hand. Glancing briefly at the adults, Harry began to carefully pull the wrapping paper off as though he was afraid to rip it. Remus and Emmeline raised eyebrows at one another. "Harry, you can rip it open," Emmeline said amusedly. "Make a mess... That's the fun of Christmas morning."

Harry's grin widened a little before he tore apart the rest of the paper to get as his first present. Once he was over his shyness, the wrapping paper began flying all over the room as Harry dug into his presents. So far, he'd only opened about half of them, and Remus wondered if he was getting overwhelmed—every time he opened a new package, he cheered; it was a wonder he was still able to speak at all, or that Remus and Emmeline were still able to hear.

"I think he's having fun," Emmeline said to Remus, a large smile on her face.

He nodded. "He definitely seems to be," he said. "Once he's finished, I'll be surprised if we'll be able to even see the floor anymore..."

"Whoa!" Harry said, opening one of the presents Remus had gotten him. He looked over at the boy, his smile immediately widening. Harry was holding up a package of magical creatures that acted exactly like their living counterparts—the phoenix actually flew and carried things, the troll gave off a slightly foul stench, and the fire crab actually breathed fire, though it came out cool to the touch so it didn't burn the child playing with it.

It was another hour before Harry finally reached the bottom of the present pile. So far, he was barricaded between stacks of new Muggle clothes and wizard's robes, children's books—everything from Quidditch to Herbology—enough toys that would force Remus to charm his toy box to be bottomless just to fit everything in, and even a child-sized broomstick. Remus had been rather skeptical about teaching Harry to fly—neither he nor Emmeline had been the best fliers, but Emmeline had insisted; it would almost be criminal to keep James Potter's son grounded. Remus resignedly agreed, and promised to take Harry to his cottage where he could fly in a clearing in the forest where the Marauders had spent a lot of time during their summers.

As the morning went on, the excitement seemed to exhaust Harry—only an hour after he started playing with his new toys, Harry was now asleep, hugging a stuffed lion with the Gryffindor crest sewn into its chest close to him. Remus and Emmeline were sitting together on the sofa now, listening to a wizarding wireless and drinking hot cocoa. "Think we should move him?" Emmeline asked, looking at Harry.

Remus shook his head. "Nah, let him be," he said. "He looks comfortable."

Emmeline chuckled. "Did you ever fall asleep on piles of wrapping paper when you were a kid?"

He smiled. "A few times," he said, nodding. "It's surprisingly soft if it's all piled up correctly."

"I bet," she said, grinning. She began asking something else, but Remus saw her brow furrow as she turned her head towards the hallway. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked, listening. It only took a few moments before he heard the familiar sounds of an owl pecking at a window. "It's coming from Michael's room..." He stood up and moved quickly down the hallway, opened the bedroom door, and saw a familiar owl standing on the window ledge. At first, he was uncertain where he'd seen the bird before, but a memory supplied itself of a night only a few weeks ago when this owl had come to him with a letter from Sirius. He rushed to the window—the owl hopped into the room just far enough for Remus to grab the letter before turning and flying away.

"What's that?" Emmeline asked, entering the room.

"I think it's from Sirius," he said, staring at the scrawled writing on the front of the envelope spelling out his name. With a brief glance at Emmeline, Remus sat on the bed and carefully opened the envelope, peering inside before reaching in for the single item. His eyebrows rose as he laid eyes on a wizarding photograph. It was of a boy, maybe nine or ten, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and smiling as he spoke to someone outside the photo's view. He nearly dropped the photo when an animal, a rat he guessed initially, climbed up on the boy's shoulder, curling up and going to sleep. Remus' brow furrowed as he studied the rat closely, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"There's something on the back," Emmeline said, reaching over to turn the photo.

The two friends read the message on the back, both unable to comprehend the words they read:

_With any luck, this will prove to you that I'm not as guilty as you believe me to be._

—_Padfoot_

_P.S. If you want to know more, meet me at Godric's Hollow Cemetery on Boxing Day at midnight.:  
_

_

* * *

_**AN**: An update for my lovely, wonderful readers. And if you're really good to me, there might be an update for _Through Another's Eyes_ in your future... Thanks for reading, guys! Please review!_  
_


	11. Eleven

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Eleven_

Remus walked through the dark night into the cemetery, his feet leaving deep holes in the snow as he went. With every breath he took, white puffs escaped his mouth, but he ignored the cold and continued on. His eyes were wide open, searching the snow-covered ground for any other living being. A few times he thought he heard the crunching of the snow between his own steps and every time, he spun around, trying to find what had made the noise. He knew his destination well; the number of times he'd been there were numerable, but he'd never visited at night and he had to admit, the cemetery was much creepier at this late hour than he would ever admit to anyone. He pulled his cloak tighter around his body and got a firmer hold of his wand as though he expected to be ambushed. His actual thoughts weren't far from this; he had no idea what to expect when he finally found Sirius. Would the other wizard attempt to curse him first?

Trying to push every thought from his mind, Remus continued to climb the hill. He passed the gravestones that were buried in snowdrifts hardly giving them another look. He turned a slight bend in the path and spotted where he was headed. Their gravestone seemed to shine in the moonlight, drawing him closer to it like a moth to bug zapper. He reached the very top of the hill and felt as though the heavy, cold wind had knocked all the breath out of him as his eyes rested on Lily and James' names on the marble. It took him several minutes to tear his eyes from the words he'd read so many times so he could turn around and keep lookout for Sirius. He still wasn't quite sure why the other wizard wanted to meet here of all places. Even James and Lily's cottage in the village would be a little cozier than this—there, at least, they could get out of the cold, even if it was much more depressing than a cemetery.

He waited for twenty minutes. Every shadow he saw made him more jumpy than he could ever remember being. Every whistle the wind made through the trees had him pointing his wand in that direction preparing to shout out a defensive spell. An hour into his wait, as the tips of his fingers were getting numb and he had to rub his hands together so he could hold his wand steady, he finally spotted a shadow that, no matter how many times he blinked to moisten his dry eyes, didn't disappear. He watched the shadow, which grew to be a black spot moving towards him. The first time he was able to make sense of the spot was when the moonlight hit it: it was a large, shaggy animal and it didn't take but a split second for Remus to recognize the animal for what it was. For a brief moment, his mind connected the irony between the dog that looked so much like a Grim to be skulking around a cemetery.

Remus tensed as the dog continued to approach him. Its gray eyes were locked with Remus' blue ones, and they seemed to shine in the dark. As a cloud blocked the moonlight temporarily from the dark cemetery, those eyes were the only things Remus could see — it was almost like they were floating without a body. Sirius began to move slowly up the hill as though waiting for Remus to curse him. Remus kept a good hold on his wand, but made no move to point it at the Animagus. The dog reached the top of the hill and looked past Remus for a few moments as he very slowly sat in the snow. Remus knew he was looking at the gravestone just behind him.

"Hello, Padfoot," Remus said evenly after a few moments. "Are you going to stay like that the whole time?"

Sirius seemed to raise an eyebrow, but after a few seconds, he backed up and began to transform. Remus was momentarily shocked at how much different the other wizard looked now than when he'd been in Azkaban. His hair was cut to shoulder-length and no longer matted. He wasn't as dirty as he seemed to be in the photos the _Daily Prophet _featured on a daily basis. And perhaps the largest improvement to Sirius' appearance was how he seemed to have filled out a little more and no longer had the sickly, thin frame he'd had in Azkaban.

_No wonder the Ministry is having trouble catching him_, Remus thought wryly.

"Hello, Remus," Sirius finally said in a very hoarse voice. "Thank you for coming..."

"Yeah," Remus said, unwilling to meet the other wizard's eyes. "Why did you want me to meet you here?"

Sirius sighed. "Well, I assume you got the photo I sent you," he said. Remus nodded once. "Have you recognized anyone in it yet?"

"I may have," Remus said coolly. "Are you trying to convince me that you didn't alter that photo in any way?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "How would I do that? I haven't got a wand. And even if I did, I wouldn't be able to do it that well. I really don't think you believe that anyway."

"So now you know what I think?" Remus asked with his own raised eyebrow. "Your message said you were going to explain the photo... Explain."

Sirius sighed, looking at James and Lily's gravestone again. "Look, I know everyone thinks I was responsible for what happened to Lily and James. I told you in the first letter I sent that what happened in London between Wormtail and myself wasn't as it seemed."

"Yes, and I still don't understand that," Remus said, listening closely.

"I wasn't Secret-Keeper," Sirius said plainly with just a slight edge to his voice. "Wormtail was. And he was the one to hand the Secret over to Voldemort."

Remus raised an eyebrow, carefully to keep his face as impassive as he could. "And I'm supposed to believe this? Peter hid under his bed at the very mention of Voldemort; how am I supposed to believe he actually sought him out—"

"Who says Peter sought Voldemort out?" Sirius interrupted, beginning to sound impatient. "We both know there was a spy in the Order, someone very close to the Potters. There were only three suspects—you, me, and Wormtail. And if it wasn't me and it wasn't you, then that only leaves one person."

"He's dead," Remus said automatically, noticing there wasn't much conviction behind the words anymore. Was he actually starting to believe his old friend was alive? "Even if he wasn't, how would you explain what happened in London?"

"Easy," Sirius said. "I found out what happened to Lily and James and went after Wormtail. I cornered him in London, and he blew up the street, cut off a finger, transformed, and dove into the sewers." Sirius sighed when Remus didn't reply for some time. "The official story is that he cornered me, right? How would that be possible considering I was closest to the street, closest to those Muggles?"

The other wizard nodded slowly. "Okay... So let's say for a moment that I believe you. Where is Peter now?"

"Couldn't tell you," Sirius said shortly.

"Why not?"

"Because he's disappeared again." Remus didn't think the annoyance Sirius was now exhibiting wasn't exclusively directed towards him.

"And I'm supposed to believe this?" Remus asked, getting a little frustrated. He was starting to feel like a broken record, having now asked Sirius what he was supposed to believe about three times. "You're trying to convince me of your innocence, but all you have is a story—"

"And a photo," Sirius pointed out. "Don't forget the photo."

"Either way," Remus said loudly, his voice echoing oddly in the cemetery. "For all I know, you could be lying to me, like you were before Lily and James were killed."

Sirius' eyes darkened a little and Remus didn't think it had anything to do with the cloud that shifted in front of the moon. "Remus," he said in a low voice, taking a slight step forward. Remus took an obvious step back, wanting to stay far out of the other's reach. Sirius noticed and rolled his eyes before he asked the question Remus and Emmeline had posed to Dumbledore a few weeks before. "Why would I send you a letter, risking my capture, asking you to check my wand, and then go steal it before you had the chance?"

Remus had no answer for that. Neither he nor Emmeline could make sense of the stolen wand or its thief.

"Besides," Sirius continued, frustrated, "you really think I could get through the Ministry unnoticed? If I walk in the way I am, Aurors are going to swarm down on me faster than you can say bludger. And even if I went in my Animagus form, don't you think they'd be a wee bit suspicious seeing a huge black dog wandering the Ministry unescorted?"

Remus stared at Sirius, uncertain how to reply to that. He supposed he could accuse Sirius of using Dark Magic to get in, but even that was a weak theory: the Ministry had ways to detect concealment by Dark Magic, even if it'd been used before a wizard came into the building.

When Remus didn't reply after about two minutes, Sirius sighed heavily. "Do you have the time?" he asked suddenly, looking like Remus felt—wondering whether it had been a good idea for the two wizards to meet at all.

"Why, somewhere you have to be?" Remus asked coolly.

"What do you care?" Sirius snapped.

Rolling his eyes, Remus glanced at his watch. "Half past one," he said dully. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Why? You don't believe me as it is," Sirius said bitterly. "Why should I waste my breath trying to convince you of anything?" He turned around and began walking down the hill towards the gates. Remus didn't go after him, nor did he call him back; rather, he stood there for several minutes until Sirius had transformed into his Animagus form and disappeared just outside the dark cemetery.

Sighing, knowing that hadn't been the meeting he'd been expecting, Remus made his own way down the hill, looking forward to getting back to the flat so his fingers and face could warm up.

* * *

When he walked through the door, Remus found Emmeline on the sofa in what he now considered her waiting position: she was curled up on the sofa in her pajamas, a book on her lap. He wondered if she'd read more than half a dozen pages since he'd left. She spotted him the moment he closed the door, slammed the book shut, and tossed it aside, looking him over to make certain he wasn't injured.

"Well?" she asked both reluctantly and eagerly. "How'd it go?"

Remus sighed as he sat in the armchair beside her. "He showed up," he said dully, rubbing his hands along his arms to warm them. "And our meeting ended with us arguing and him stalking off back to wherever he's hiding."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least we know your relationship with him hasn't changed since before Lily and James were killed." He gave her a look. She shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic. "I thought you were going to be civil when you saw him. What happened to that?"

"Emmeline, if you'd been there and saw him and heard the things he was saying... You would have argued with him as well."

Rolling her eyes, she changed the subject. "And what was he saying?"

"He's pinned it all on Peter," Remus replied dully. "Peter was the spy. Peter was the Secret-Keeper. Peter sold out Lily and James to Voldemort. Peter killed the Muggles. And Peter is alive."

Her eyes widened. "He said that?" she asked in a low voice. "That Peter's alive?"

Remus nodded, staring across the room at the bare wall. "But it's impossible," he finally said. "When the street blew up, Peter disappeared. How could he have possibly survived that?"

"_He transformed and dove into the sewers,"_ his mind replied in Sirius' voice.

"Well," Emmeline said, thinking. "Maybe the same way Sirius did."

He didn't reply for long moments, nor did he show any outward signs that he'd heard what she said. He wasn't yet ready to explore the theory that Peter had, indeed, done all the things Sirius had said, including having lived through that explosion in London. He thought of the photo Sirius had sent him the day before and how he'd instantly recognized the rat on that boy's shoulder, even though he hadn't told Emmeline who it had been—he'd felt that if he admitted it out loud, it was confirming without a doubt that it had been his old friend, the one he'd believed to be dead. And then Petunia's words once again forced themselves forward. _"Harry's godfather wasn't the one to keep the secret." _Sirius had been right: it only took a bit of deduction to find the only person who could have been responsible for everything that happened.

"It was Peter," he said hoarsely, unaware that he'd spoken. "It was him all along." He slowly turned towards Emmeline who was watching him patiently. "Everything that happened... It was him."

She hesitated before speaking. "How can you be certain?" she asked quietly.

Silently, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the photograph, handing it to her. "The rat on the boy's shoulder," he said much more calmly that he presently felt. "It's Peter in his Animagus form."

She only seemed mildly surprised at his proclamation. "How can you tell?" she asked, looking at the photo.

"The right paw, for one," he said, closing his eyes and seeing the photo that he'd already memorized clearly in his mind. "It's missing a toe—only Peter's finger was found after Sirius' arrest. And I noticed every time he climbs on the boy's shoulder, he's got a bald patch on his stomach. It's from a spell Sirius accidentally him with—he was never able to grow chest hair." Emmeline's lips were twitching. "Not a single one and we teased him for it when he transformed into his Animagus form that even as a rat he couldn't grow chest hair." He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to mention the next hint. He hadn't tested this one himself yet..."Do you know the charm to turn black and white photos to color?"

She nodded, looking up at him. "Yes, of course," she said a bit suspiciously.

"Do it on the photo," he said, "and then tell me what color the rat's eyes are."

Looking at him like she thought he'd lost his mind, Emmeline reached for her wand, glanced at him briefly—he was now staring in another direction—and tapped the photo with the tip, murmuring a charm under her breath. Remus waited patiently for a reply—he knew for fact that in one's Animagus form, certain features remained, such as the color of one's eyes. He could almost see a brown rat with beady blue eyes right in front of him. After long moments, she gasped, nearly dropping the photo, and finally spoke, "Red!" seemed to be all she could say. Remus raised an eyebrow and turned to her. She paled almost instantly.

"Red what?" was the only thing that fell out of his mouth at the sound of her near panic.

"Red hair," she said, mostly to herself. She continued studying the photo. "Remus, this is one of the Weasleys' kids, I'm certain of it. I've seen him around the Ministry with Arthur a few times."

Remus' head fell to the back of his chair. Of course he knew who the Weasleys were—who didn't? He'd never spoken more than a few words with Arthur or Molly Weasley, only at Gideon and Fabian Prewetts' funeral when he'd given them his condolences. His next question was how Sirius had gotten his hands on a picture of one of their children.

_Or, _his mind added unhelpfully,_ why Peter's on this kid's shoulder... _The more Remus thought about it though, that pose with Peter and the boy didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary for either of them. The boy seemed perfectly accustomed and even happy at having a rat on his shoulder.

"So what now?" Emmeline asked some time later after Remus had finally confirmed that the rat in the picture indeed had Peter's blue eyes. "Should we tell Dumbledore?"

Remus sighed. His instinct was to say no, that he couldn't tell the headmaster about Peter because of the Marauders being illegal Animagi. His next thought was if Peter was alive, and he had been both spy and Secret-Keeper for Lily and James, it would mean Sirius was innocent and he'd been wrongfully imprisoned for five years. And if that was the case, Sirius had had every right to escape from Azkaban—he hadn't belonged there in the first place.

"I don't know," he finally said to Emmeline. "Even if we do tell Dumbledore, it's not going to change much. The Ministry isn't going to declare Sirius innocent because of a photo of a rat and his own word. And if they find out that Sirius is an Animagus, he's going back to Azkaban anyway."

"Yes, but just because we tell Dumbledore, it doesn't mean we have to tell the Ministry," she replied. "Besides, if Dumbledore knows, he can help find Peter and keep Sirius hidden."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think Sirius needs any help in keeping himself hidden..."

* * *

Nearly a week had gone by since Christmas, and Ron Weasley was reluctantly following his mother, brothers, and sister through Diagon Alley. Their mother needed to pick up a few things and even though the boys had insisted they were old enough to stay home alone, she'd dragged them with her. Ron blamed the twins for that. Just as they were about to enter the first shop on their list, Ron glanced over and saw a playground. It had only been there a short time, that summer to be exact, and Ron hadn't been to play there yet. Unlike the rest of Diagon Alley, there was no snow or slush on the ground or play equipment, and there were children there too.

"Mum?" Ron called, hoping she could hear him over Percy bragging about something. "Mum, can I go play on the playground?"

She stopped and turned, looking from Ron's hopeful face to the playground across the alley, debating with herself. Ron quickly put on his puppy dog face, hoping to win his mother over that way. Finally, she nodded. "I suppose. But your brothers and Ginny have to go with you!" she called to Ron.

As soon as she'd given him her permission, Ron had darted across the cobblestone walkway, hardly hearing what she said. The moment he set foot on the sand that covered the playground area, a heating charm kicked in, making it very unnecessary for Ron to keep on his coat—it wasn't long before he'd abandoned it on a bench.

There were only a few people here—a boy with longish blond hair playing on the swings and two people he assumed to be this boy's parents watching him play. Ron hesitated; he'd always been kind of shy around other kids, only ever having his own siblings to play with. But it seemed the twins were busy burying a happily giggling Ginny in the sand. After a few moments of debating with himself over whether this was the best idea after all, Ron made his way to the swings and took the empty one beside the other boy.

"Hi," he said when Ron sat down.

"Hi," Ron said, his feet barely touching the top of the sand.

"Wanna see who can go higher?" the other said.

Ron nodded, smiling. "Okay..."

* * *

Remus and Emmeline watched as Harry and another boy tried to go higher and higher on their swings, each trying to beat the other. When he looked over at Emmeline, Remus was certain she was thinking the same thing as he was: the Weasley children were on the same playground as they were. Remus looked around a bit more, looking for the boy in the photo Sirius had sent, and began to wonder if the boy was already of Hogwarts age before spotting him sitting on the bench closest to the rest of Diagon Alley, completely immersed in some book. Remus nudged Emmeline and nodded at the boy, hearing her sharp intake of breath when she recognized him.

"The only problem," Remus said, "is that we can't just go over there and start asking questions about a rat. I don't imagine their mother has gone far from them, or that she'll leave them alone for too long. And I doubt she'd look highly upon two complete strangers interrogating her son."

Emmeline resignedly agreed and they began trying to figure out the best way to find out the information they wanted to know. While they talked, Harry and who seemed to be the youngest Weasley boy ran off towards the monkey bars, trying to see who could hang upside the longest. Some fifteen minutes later, they were no closer to a decent plan than they were before, and it seemed Molly Weasley had finished her shopping: the redheaded woman entered the playground, watching her son and Harry play. She seemed on the verge of calling her children to go home, but changed her mind as she spotted Remus and Emmeline. Smiling, she came to sit on the bench beside them.

"Hello," she said to them, setting down her shopping bags and taking off her cloak. "My Ron seems to be having fun with your boy."

Remus nodded, smiling back. "They seem to have hit it off very well," he agreed, a plan finally popping into his mind. It was a bit of a long shot, but it couldn't hurt... Before speaking again, he reached over and pressed down on Emmeline's hand, silently telling her to play along—she pressed back, showing she understood. Luckily, Remus and Emmeline had decided only Harry needed a glamour charm that day, or else they may have been out of luck. "I don't know if you recognize me, Mrs. Weasley, but I was a friend of your brothers'."

Molly looked at him and a few seconds later, he saw vague signs of recognition in her eyes. "Oh yes," she said. She seemed to be trying to place a name with the face, but couldn't quite come up with it.

"Remus Lupin," he said, smiling to show he wasn't offended at not being recognized. "I believe you and I only met once or twice."

"Well, all the same," Molly said, returning the smile, "it's wonderful to meet you again. It that your son?" She looked over at where Ron and Harry were chasing each other around the playground.

"My nephew Jamie, actually," Remus said. "He's been staying with us for some time—his mother passed away and I was named his guardian." Technically, it wasn't _all_ a lie. "He's been cooped up in our flat as of late, unable to play with children his age. He really seems to be enjoying your children." Remus looked out to the playground and chuckled, having seen Harry and Ron chase two other boys—twins, by the looks of them.

Molly gave him a sympathetic look. She hesitated for a few moments, smiling at how Ron was laughing happily as he tripped in the sand. "I hope you won't think me too forward, but Ron doesn't have any friends where we live and it's quite rare that he socializes with anyone by my other children—how would you feel about Ron and Jamie getting together to play some time? You're all welcome of course—perhaps you could come for dinner and meet my husband."

Remus nodded slowly, pretending to think over the offer, inwardly celebrating. "I think that would be a wonderful idea. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.".

The redheaded witch smiled. "Please, call me Molly," she said. "How does Friday night sound?"

"Perfect," Remus replied, ignoring the slightly confused look Emmeline was sending him. Remus and Emmeline worked out a few details before the witch gave him the address of her home. Shortly after, she called her children, put their jackets back on, and headed back into Diagon Alley.

"Are you out of your mind?" Emmeline asked as Remus stood to go get Harry so they could go home. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Last I checked, we were supposed to stay away from magical families as long as we have Harry."

Remus gave her a look. "I think we blew that when I met with Sirius, and you and I stopped wearing our glamour charms out in public," he said dully. She rolled her eyes. "Look, we can't keep Harry locked up with no one but us for company. He needs other kids to play with."

She raised her own eyebrow. "So this has absolutely nothing to do with a Weasley being the one in the picture with Peter on his shoulder?"

"Maybe a little," he admitted. "But honestly, what can it hurt?"

Emmeline sighed before nodding and standing. "Famous last words, those," she muttered to herself. "All right, but keep in mind Michael will be back Thursday."

"Your brother will continue to remain completely oblivious to our lies," Remus promised. "Marauder's honor."

Emmeline's eyebrows shot up. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" she asked as Harry ran over to them out of breath and looking very happy. "Because as I recall, those words were nothing but trouble during school, and more than once, they resulted in several detentions for anyone in a fifty foot radius of you four."

Remus only laughed and picked Harry up, leading the way out of Diagon Alley.


	12. Twelve

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Twelve_

Sirius was not looking forward to this dinner party or play date or whatever it was. Ron had given him every detail about his new friend Jamie, and it hadn't taken long for the dog to realize, with two kids around, his chances of being able to escape, to visit Remus or to search for Wormtail, were very slim. And Sirius's wariness of the Weasleys' visitors had only gotten worse when he'd overheard Molly and Arthur talking one night. The moment Molly had spoken the names of Jamie's "aunt and uncle," Sirius had choked on his dog food. His initial thoughts were that Remus and Emmeline had indeed gotten together and had a kid since Sirius' arrest. After wondering briefly why they hadn't just called this kid their son rather than Remus' nephew—which Sirius knew to be impossible, since Remus Lupin was an only child—he'd gone through several improbable scenarios, including one in which his two old friends had kidnapped some wizard child.

As the play date drew nearer, Sirius was starting to feel more nervous. What would happen when Remus saw him? Would he curse Sirius or perhaps force him to transform in front of the Weasleys? While Ron bounced off the walls in anticipation of Jamie's arrival, Sirius was trying to find a way to slip out of the Burrow unnoticed so he could avoid any sort of horrible confrontation. Unfortunately, every single time he tried to slip out of Ron's attic bedroom, Ron called him back, prattling on about helping him figure out what the two boys would be doing that afternoon.

The dog let out a whimper when he heard Molly call for Ron—their guests had arrived—though Ron hadn't heard it over his cheering as he ran down the staircase. Sirius followed very slowly, wanting to put this off for as long as possible. When he finally arrived downstairs, he took in a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever was about to happen. Several familiar scents registered in his brain: the Weasley family themselves, Molly's cooking, Remus and Emmeline, and...

He stopped dead in his tracks, sniffing again and taking special care to concentrate on the scent that just couldn't be possible. He was dizzy suddenly and had to focus on remaining on his feet. His mind shifted through several possibilities—it couldn't be who he believed it to be, who it smelled like. But there was something else mixed in with the faint scents of Lily and James Potter, something far more distinct, and Sirius finally pinpointed who it belonged to: it was his godson.

Realizing Harry was no longer with the Dursleys, but living with his two old friends, Sirius' excitement was quickly replacing his nerves. He had to restrain himself from bounding around the corner and pinning the boy to the ground in greeting—once he was in the sitting room, he was glad he had; he saw not the messy black-headed little boy he'd expected, but a boy with longish blond hair and a fuller build than James had ever had. The eyes were wrong—they weren't bright green like Lily's, but light blue, more like Remus'.

_Glamour charm,_ his mind eventually supplied as he watched Harry and Ron talk animatedly about nothing at all. _Remus and Emmeline put it over him—probably to protect him from me..._

He glanced around and saw Remus and Emmeline talking with Molly—neither of them was under a charm. As Sirius continued to watch them, it seemed Remus had gotten the feeling of being stared at; he glanced away from Emmeline and Molly's conversation towards the dog. A flash of recognition crossed the wizard's eyes and he jumped a little in surprise before discreetly nudging Emmeline. Her surprise at seeing Sirius there was brief, but obvious. As she tore her eyes from the dog, he was certain Remus had told her about Sirius' Animagus form.

Sirius began to breathe easily when he realized neither Remus nor Emmeline was going to call him out right then—they followed Molly into the kitchen for tea while Ron and Harry continued to talk in the sitting room. Torn between wanting to hear his godson speak and wanting to keep an eye on Remus and Emmeline, Sirius finally chose to lie down in the doorway between kitchen and sitting room so he could do both.

Harry and Ron were discussing Quidditch, and Sirius let out a quiet dog version of a chuckle when he heard his godson say, in not so many words, that the Chudley Cannons were a horrible team. It seemed Remus had introduced Harry to proper Quidditch teams—such as Puddlemere United, which had been James' favorite team. While the two boys argued their teams' respective worth, Sirius tuned into what Remus, Emmeline, and Molly were discussing, wishing after a few moments that he hadn't.

"Frankly, I won't let the children far from home these days," Molly was saying matter-of-factly, passing a plate of freshly baked biscuits to Remus. "Not until that Sirius Black is captured."

It seemed there were only three people who realized the irony of this sentence. Sirius shot a furtive glance at Remus—the other wizard missed it while he and Emmeline looked at one another.

"Well, he's kept himself hidden this long," Remus replied. "He's doing something right. And with the dementors covering every inch of the country, it's a wonder he's lasted as long as he has." Sirius couldn't help but feel most of Remus' comment was directed at him rather than the two witches.

"Didn't you know Sirius Black, Remus?" Molly asked curiously, sipping her tea. "I seem to remember my brothers mentioning him a few times."

Remus nodded. "I did," he said. "In all honesty, he was once one of my best friends, but..." Remus trailed off, glancing briefly at the dog and sighing. "Things change."

Molly nodded in what Sirius believed to be an understanding way. "No need to explain, dear," she said kindly. "And how long have the two of you been together?" She gestured between Remus and Emmeline. Sirius raised his head a little to get a better look at his two friends and swore he could feel the heat radiating from both their faces.

"Oh, um," Emmeline stumbled, glancing at Remus, "not long, a few months." Sirius raised an inward eyebrow as a blush crawled up her neck and cheeks. He'd always been able to tell when Emmeline was lying—she'd never been that great at it—and wasn't able to detect anything but sincerity and happiness, and perhaps a little nervousness, in her voice. But when he looked at Remus, the wizard was staring at Emmeline, dumbfounded, as though this was the first time he was hearing this bit of news. In fact, Sirius was certain he'd heard a dull _thud_ when Remus' jaw hit the table. Though he wasn't quite certain whether Remus and Emmeline were actually together or not, Sirius kept this scene in his mind if he ever got a chance to tease Remus again.

"So is your dog friendly, Molly?" Emmeline asked, very obviously changing the subject. Sirius tried to glare at Remus' twitching lips; the werewolf didn't glance over to catch it.

Molly looked over at the dog and smiled. "Oh yes," she said. "Snuffles is very friendly."

Remus choked loudly on a sip of tea. "Snuffles? That's a very... erm, _interesting_ name..."

"Ron named him," Molly replied. "He was playing in our orchard and found Snuffles—or rather, Snuffles found him. He's just naturally become part of the family. And to be honest, he was the only friend Ron really had before your Jamie."

Emmeline smiled. "Well, the boys seem to be getting on very well," she said. "Where are your other children hiding out?"

Sirius looked around the downstairs area at the same time as Molly, finding it very odd not to have heard an explosion or screaming of some sort. "I'm not sure," Molly said, sounding a bit uneasy. "They should be around somewhere—Bill and Charlie are at Hogwarts, of course, but Percy, the twins, and Ginny should be here..." After a few moments of looking nervous, Molly smiled at her guests. "I can't tell you how lovely it is having all of you here," she said. "It's not often we're able to entertain—the house usually gets a bit crowded."

"Well, thank you for having us over," Remus said sincerely. "We've been a bit preoccupied lately, especially since Jamie came to live with us. He can be a bit of a handful sometimes."

"He's absolutely darling," Molly said fondly. "Why don't the three of you stay for dinner? I know Ron would love it if Jamie could stay a bit longer, and if I may say so, it would be a nice change for Arthur and myself to have adults to talk to."

It looked to Sirius that Remus and Emmeline briefly considered turning down Molly's offer, but after a glance into the sitting room, where Harry and Ron were laughing hysterically about something, Remus turned to Molly, smiled and nodded. "That would be wonderful, Molly, thank you."

* * *

It had taken over an hour, but Remus was finally getting used to the idea of Sirius hiding out with the Weasleys, posing as their pet. And actually, if he was being honest with himself, he'd had a feeling of what Sirius was up to since Emmeline recognized the boy in that picture to be a Weasley. As he thought on it, this hiding spot was better than most: most people didn't know Sirius Black was an Animagus, and that included the Weasleys. So long as he didn't transform in front of them, his new family need never know who he really was. Then another thought popped into his mind: perhaps Sirius hadn't been the first Animagus to act as a Weasley pet. It wouldn't be a long shot to assume Peter had been hiding out here as well for some time; it certainly would have made the Burrow much more an attractive new home for Sirius than anywhere else in the wizarding world. The moment he'd come up with this theory, Remus had automatically looked around, expecting to see a rat on the kitchen counter or something.

_But keep in mind what Sirius said,_ his mind told him. _Peter has disappeared again. _

Realizing he was starting to believe everything Sirius had said about his innocence and Peter's guilt, Remus was beginning to wonder where Peter had gone—was he looking for a better hiding place, maybe somewhere outside the wizarding world? Had he gone to a Death Eater's home, hoping for help there? Either way, it wouldn't be easy to locate him without a lot of help, which meant telling certain people about certain other people's exploits in becoming Animagi when they'd been teenagers. Remus was certain Dumbledore would understand, but he was still very hesitant to admit what his friends had done and how not only had he done anything to stop them, but he'd actually encouraged them, helped them along.

_He has to know_, his mind had been telling him for months. _Now more than ever, since you know who is really to blame for what happened to James and Lily. Dumbledore would be able to help in searching for Peter; all you have to do is get up the nerve just talk to him._

Rolling his eyes, telling his mind that it wasn't that easy, Remus vaguely tuned back into Molly and Emmeline's conversation about household spells. Just as he was preparing to contribute to the discussion on the best way to get chocolate off a wall without leaving a stain, he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg. With a raised eyebrow, he looked down and found Sirius staring at him, jerking his head towards the sitting room. He got the hint pretty quickly: Sirius wanted to talk and wanted Remus to follow him. Excusing himself from the table for a moment, Remus got up and followed Sirius through the house, noting that Harry and Ron had moved to another room—he could hear laughing at the top of the stairs. Sirius entered the bathroom first and Remus, rolling his eyes again, followed, closing the door. The Animagus waited only until the door latch clicked before transforming to human.

"So you've found my hiding spot, I see," Sirius said as a greeting.

"Well, I can assure you it was entirely coincidental," Remus replied quietly. "How long have you been here?"

Sirius shrugged. "Few months," he said. "It started out as a place to stay warm, then turned into something much better when I realized I wasn't the only animal imposter living here."

Remus let this last comment pass for the moment. "And you think you're safe here?"

"As long as you don't go blabbing that I'm here, yeah, I feel pretty damn safe," Sirius said. He glanced sideways at Remus as though hoping the other wizard would say he wasn't going to go to the Ministry with news of Sirius' location.

"How long has Peter been gone?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You believe me, then?"

"I'm not saying anything of the sort," Remus replied. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

Sighing, Sirius nodded. "He left a few nights before the _Prophet _reported that my wand had been stolen," he said. "And I'll bet almost anything Wormtail had a lot to do with that."

"From what Mad-Eye and Dumbledore said, though, the surveillance charms only showed a shadow in Mad-Eye's office that night, so I'm not certain we'll be able to prove it was him or not," Remus said. "Everyone believes it was you, so it won't be easy to convince Mad-Eye to look over the charms again."

The other wizard shrugged. "Anything would be a huge help right now," he said. "I have no clue where Wormtail could have gone and no real way of going after him—not by myself, at least."

Remus noted the hope in Sirius' voice that he would volunteer his help in searching for Peter. "I'll see what I can do," he said noncommittally. "In the meantime, I'll speak with Emmeline—we may go to Dumbledore." Sirius opened his mouth to argue; Remus held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Someone else on your side can't hurt. And if it would make you feel any better, I won't tell him where you're hiding."

Sirius nodded. "That'd be appreciated, at least until I know where he stands."

"All right," Remus said. "I should get back downstairs before someone comes looking."

As Remus made to open the door, Sirius quickly transformed again and slipped from the bathroom after the wizard.

* * *

While his two old friends talked in the bathroom of the Burrow, Peter Pettigrew sat in a heavily wooded area, nursing a rather bad cut he'd just sustained on his hand. His hope had been that once he'd gotten hold of Sirius' wand, he'd easily be able to use it to do what he'd needed to do. That, however, hadn't been the case. The only time the wand had actually done what Peter had wanted it to do was the night he'd stolen it from Mad-Eye Moody's office and had cast the charms to keep anyone from knowing he'd been there. Since then, he hadn't been able to do even a simple levitation charm—when he'd tried, the wand had decided to summon the object (a rock) and it had hit Wormtail in the gut, knocking the wind out of him momentarily and leaving a nasty gash there. His most recent injury had happened when he'd attempted to make a path through some high grass to continue searching for a useful hiding spot—though the wand was now at least casting the correct spell, it had still backfired on him, and he had been forced to stop for the time being to slow the blood flow.

Peter had believed that being on the run like this would be easy—only Sirius knew he had lived through the explosion in London, and no one was going to listen to him anyway. He'd planned on having a plan formed—one that would somehow get him back into the good graces of the Death Eaters perhaps. Briefly, he'd considered kidnapping Harry Potter and taking him to Lucius Malfoy's home. But until he was able to get Sirius' wand under his control, it was out of the question. Besides, stealing the most famous five-year-old in the country couldn't be as easy as Peter hoped it would be; Dumbledore would have certainly placed some sort of protections around the place to keep someone from doing just that.

Before he would be able to do much of anything, though, he had to figure out a way to get Sirius back into Azkaban. If Sirius was somehow able to convince someone that Peter was alive, the manhunt would change course and it would only be a matter of time before Aurors were swooping down on him. Everything would run much more smoothly with Sirius out of the picture.

Peter pulled away the piece of his shirt that he'd been using to stem the blood flow and took a quick look at his hand, finding that the bleeding had finally slowed. He tied the cloth around the hand and stood, looking around, trying to find another path that didn't involve cutting down the tall grass and potentially harming the wizard any further.

* * *

Though it had taken some time to get his nerves up—nearly a week to be exact—Remus and Emmeline were now walking up the path that would take them to the front doors of Hogwarts castle to speak with Albus Dumbledore about the goings on of the last few weeks. They'd dropped Harry off with the Weasleys for the morning, having told Molly that they needed some "alone time." Part of the real reason they'd left Harry there was so Remus could reassure Sirius that dementors and Aurors weren't going to swoop down on the Burrow after Dumbledore found out where he'd been hiding. Even after that, and after trying to convince himself of it, Remus still wasn't quite sure he was doing the right thing by going to the Headmaster. Emmeline had had to threaten inviting Dumbledore over for dinner and telling him herself just to get Remus to write the letter requesting a bit of the wizard's time.

Remus looked around the school grounds nostalgically, his eyes moving from the greenhouses to the Whomping Willow to the Quidditch pitch as they passed. A few older students, the ones who had free periods, gave the pair curious looks as they went up the stairs—it was rare that anyone who wasn't a teacher, student, school governor, or a high-ranking Ministry official visited Hogwarts during the term. Nevertheless, Remus and Emmeline continued through the large castle doors and into the entrance hall where they both stopped briefly to inhale the familiar smells of the school. Remus glanced over at the witch and found a small smile on her face. He chuckled and she snapped out of whatever memory had jumped into her mind, looking back at him and blushing a tad. Rolling her eyes, she hurried forward to either show her annoyance at his laughing at her or to hide her embarrassment. He thought it was a bit of both.

As they walked through the corridors, a few portraits greeted them and one—Sir Cadogan — wouldn't let them continue to Dumbledore's office until they informed him of their destination.

"You know," Emmeline said in a low voice when they finally lost the knight between portraits, "I never liked him—he made me late for Transfiguration on my first day at school — McGonagall nearly gave me a detention because of it."

Remus snorted. "The number of times James and Sirius sent him out on fake quests are too many to count—once, they actually convinced him there was a dragon in the portrait of those old warlocks on the sixth floor so they could sneak into one of the classrooms up by the North tower."

"Doesn't surprise me," Emmeline muttered. "Didn't they also convince Peeves to hover outside the Slytherins' common room for a week?"

"Yes," Remus said, trying to keep the grin off his face. "Every Slytherin came to breakfast covered in something that I still believe to be Flobberworm pus."

"Yummy," she replied sarcastically with a grimace.

Before they knew it—and long before Remus was prepared—they were facing the stone gargoyles that hid the Headmaster's study. "Cockroach clusters," Remus said with a shake of his head. Emmeline chuckled as the gargoyles parted to reveal the spiral staircase Remus had seen so many times—mostly when McGonagall was leading him and his friends to Dumbledore for some prank gone very awry and had either harmed a fellow student or nearly had.

At the top of the staircase, Remus and Emmeline were facing the dark oak door with the griffin-shaped doorknocker and Remus was just beginning to consider calling the entire meeting off when the Headmaster's voice call for them to enter. Glancing over at Emmeline's twitching lips, knowing she knew what he'd been thinking, he reached out and opened the study door. Remus suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu as he entered the very familiar room—he was getting the feeling of having done something bad and was preparing for some sort of punishment. He only hoped this discussion wouldn't lead to a punishment in Azkaban for his knowledge of Sirius' whereabouts. The walk to Dumbledore's desk seemed to take much longer than it had in recent memory, and it only made it worse to see that the Headmaster was smiling warmly at his guests.

"Ah, Remus, Emmeline," he said, setting aside some papers he'd been working on before their arrival. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to two chairs in front of his desk as he turned to pour a few cups of tea for them.

"Good morning, sir," Emmeline said, sitting first. Remus envied how calm she seemed to be, knowing exactly what was about to be discussed. "How was your Christmas?"

"Very enjoyable," Dumbledore told them, passing them the tea cups. "We seem to have candidates for top troublemakers; two second year Gryffindors have seemed to take a liking to keeping our Potion Master's life very interesting as of recent. Professor Snape was hardly able to enjoy his Christmas pudding due to the fireworks that somehow made their way into them."

Both Remus and Emmeline choked on their tea, but for different reasons: Emmeline due to her laughing and Remus due to hearing the name of the Potions master Hogwarts now employed. He'd heard rumors that Severus Snape had gotten a job at Hogwarts a few years back, but never had enough interest to find out whether it was true.

"And how is young Harry fairing?" the Headmaster asked, sipping his tea, apparently oblivious to Remus' reaction.

"Very well," Emmeline said, nodding. "Remus and I couldn't help but spoil him a bit for Christmas—we decided we had a few years to make up for. And we took him to Diagon Alley not long ago, and he made friends with a wizard boy."

Remus shot a look at her; he hadn't planned on bringing any of this up so early in the visit. She didn't even glance over at him as she accepted a biscuit Dumbledore had offered.

Dumbledore looked up at them, surprised. "I was under the belief that Harry would be kept under glamour charms and away from the wizarding world." His tone was light, but Remus could sense a hint of warning in there somewhere.

"He was and still is under his glamour charm," Remus said, setting down his tea. "However, we didn't seem much harm in letting play at the playground in Diagon Alley—and then some wizard children arrived, one of the boys and Harry began playing, their mother arrived, and suggested a play date. Since then, the boys have been meeting every few days."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see," he said slowly. "And might I ask the name of this wizard family?"

"The Weasleys," Emmeline answered.

The Headmaster chuckled. "Well, let us keep this from Professor Snape, shall we?" Remus and Emmeline looked at him oddly, and he explained, "Charlie Weasley was among the duo who ruined Severus' Christmas meal; I do not think he would look too highly upon Harry Potter, son of one of his rivals, playing aside Charlie's younger sibling a the moment."

Remus raised a dry eyebrow. "Sir, I don't think Severus would look too highly upon Harry under any circumstances."

Dumbledore's eyes looked sad briefly and he seemed on the verge of saying something, but changed his mind. "So, not that I am complaining in the slightest, but to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this morning?"

Remus took a deep breath, trying to get the words to come out of his mouth. Only when Emmeline reached down and gently squeezed his hand was he able to organize his thoughts enough to begin speaking. And it didn't hurt when he noticed her hand was still brushing up against his own. "Well, sir," he began slowly, "Emmeline and I have some information that will help in the Sirius Black case."

The Headmaster sat up a bit more in his chair, looking very alert, and looking between his two former pupils as though trying to figure out what information they could have. "Go on," he said.

"We know where he's been hiding, how he's been able to keep hidden, and what his plans are now he's escaped," Remus said in one quick breath, feeling slightly better now that he'd said it. "Unfortunately, at the moment, I can only reveal two of the three to you."

Dumbledore put his hands together, his fingers folded beneath his chin, and locked eyes with Remus. Immediately the younger wizard got that old feeling of the Headmaster seeing into his very soul and knowing everyone of his deepest thoughts. With much difficulty, and trying not to make it too obvious, Remus was able to finally tear his eyes from his mentor's. The Headmaster gave a small sigh. "Might I ask why you feel you cannot be open with me?"

"It's not that, sir," Emmeline said quickly. "We just... well, we assured Sirius we wouldn't give you every bit of information until we knew how you would take what we are going to tell you."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and seemed to briefly consider asking them how long they'd been in contact with Sirius, but changed his mind. "Well, whatever information you can give me, I am certain it will be satisfactory enough for the time being."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out very slowly, knowing Dumbledore was now waiting very patiently for him to begin explaining, Remus began to tell him what he could—first about the Marauders completing their Animagus training during their fifth year at Hogwarts. Remus found he wasn't able to even look at the Headmaster as he explained how it had come about and some of the things he and his old friends did on full moon nights. Dumbledore was obviously surprised at the revelation, but kept any comments or questions he may have had to himself in order to let Remus continue. Remus was thankful for this; he felt that if he was interrupted at any point now, he wouldn't ever be able to tell Dumbledore.

Next, he informed Dumbledore about the picture and note Sirius had sent on Christmas morning, the one requesting that Remus meet him at the Godric's Hollow cemetery the next night. Remus told the Headmaster every detail of the conversation—everything from how Sirius had looked to how the two wizards had been snapping at one another before Sirius stalked off back to his hiding place. At this point Dumbledore did interrupt; he asked about Peter and whether Sirius was absolutely certain about whether the wizard had lived through the explosion.

"He seems to be," Remus replied. He hesitated, uncertain how to go on without revealing Sirius' current location. "He discovered that Peter had been hiding out with a wizard family in his Animagus form—his form is a rat, so it's much easier for him to blend in than it would have been for James or Sirius." Remus reached into his robes and pulled out the photograph Sirius had sent, passing it to the Headmaster. "The rat on the boy's shoulder is Peter in his Animagus form—I have no doubt in my mind of that. Sirius says he unintentionally chased Peter away when Peter realized Sirius was so near to him. Furthermore, Sirius maintains that it was Peter to break-in to Mad-Eye's office to steal the wand. The only way to know for certain is if Mad-Eye agrees to allow me to look at the security charms—maybe I'll be able to see something he wasn't; I know what Peter looks like in his Animagus form and I know what Sirius looks like."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will have a word with Alastor this afternoon. In the meantime, please assure Sirius that his secrets—including his location with the Weasley family—are safe with me." Remus' eyes widened. His mouth opened and closed, trying to ask the Headmaster how he could have figured that out. "I read between the lines," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Somehow, I cannot envision Molly Weasley handing an escaped convict a picture of her son and his pet rat."

* * *

Michael Vance was hunched over a roll of parchment, scribbling notes as he read about Sirius Black's history before his arrest—who his friends were, where he lived, what cases he'd covered as an Auror, what he had to drink when he went to the Leaky Cauldron—the report covered every detail of Black's life. Most of what he read didn't come as much of a surprise to him; Kingsley Shacklebolt had known Black when he joined the Auror squads after Hogwarts and had befriended him—Michael, on the other hand, had seen him around the office, but had never seen him important enough to converse with; Black and James Potter spent more time playing pranks on other Aurors and getting in trouble with the Muggle police than they did on actual work. Michael hadn't thought either of them would last through Auror training, let alone long enough to make it up through the ranks.

Regardless, Black wasn't an ignorant man; he was among the top of his class at Hogwarts and during Auror training, he knew how to use a wand, and he knew how to keep himself from being found if he didn't want to be—keeping oneself hidden in an area crawling with enemies was among one of the final tests in Auror training, and Black had passed that particular test with flying colors. Aurors were beginning to run out of places to search for Black: they'd checked his childhood home on Grimmauld Place, the flat he'd bought when he'd run away from his parents' home. They'd looked in all the spots Black had been known to frequent, including the manor that had once been owned by the Potter family—today, it was abandoned and neglected. There had been no signs suggesting Black had been to any of these places since his escape from Azkaban, and those in charge of his hunt were in desperate need of some sort of lead, whether it be a sighting or just an insight that they hadn't come up with yet.

Alastor Moody seemed to have lost some of his dedication in the search for Black; the Head Auror had, as of late, taken several Aurors off the search team and didn't seem nearly as interested when Michael and Shacklebolt went to him with what information they had gathered. Whether this had to do with Black breaking into his office to steal back his wand or something else, Michael didn't know, but he was certain once Black was captured, the rest of the Ministry would see how out of touch Moody had become over the recent years—perhaps the Minister would decide Michael finally deserved the top notch position and he could move his family back to England.

There was a nervous clearing of a throat above his cubicle that he initially ignored. He knew it was one of the younger Aurors coming to ask him some ridiculous question that anyone else in Headquarters could have answered, and hoped the wizard would realize Michael didn't have time for such nonsense.

"Er, Mr. Vance?" asked a tentative voice. "Er, a letter has come in for you, sir."

Michael finally looked up. "What letter?" he asked sharply. The young wizard held out a shaking hand holding a regular Muggle envelope. Michael raised an eyebrow. "Where did this come from?"

The wizard gulped. "W-well, it was delivered, sir, by an owl."

Rolling his eyes, Michael snatched the letter from the wizard's hand and directed his attention to it—a few moments later, the wizard realized he'd been dismissed and walked away from Michael's cubicle. The Auror used his wand to slit open the envelope, glancing briefly at the unfamiliar handwriting that spelled his name on the front. He unfolded the letter and began to read, wondering at first if this was yet another pointless, useless tip about Sirius Black's whereabouts or something different. When he eventually reached the end of the letter, having struggled through the jerky, messy handwriting, he looked around Auror headquarters, making certain no one had been watching him or reading over his shoulder. Carefully, Michael refolded the letter and placed it in his robes before putting his papers away and walking quickly out of the offices.


	13. Thirteen

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Thirteen_

Following their visit to Hogwarts and their conversation with Dumbledore, Emmeline began noticing an immediate change in Remus' mood. He was no longer nervous or anxious—he'd told Dumbledore everything that had been weighing on his mind—and he seemed to be getting used to the idea of Sirius being innocent. More and more often, Emmeline found him trying to work out where Peter had disappeared to, how to find him, and how to clear Sirius' name without getting him thrown back into Azkaban—not to mention keeping himself and Emmeline from getting a cell right next door to the escaped convict.

In the meantime, they'd figured out a way to speak to Sirius privately without the danger of him transforming within the Burrow: Remus had offered to let Ron come to their flat in London for a night so he and Harry could have a sleepover. When Ron had asked if Snuffles could come too, Molly had opened her mouth to say no, but Remus cut her off, telling her it wouldn't be a problem, so long as Snuffles was housetrained—at which point Emmeline glanced over and saw, for the first time in her life, a dog glaring hard with the promise of retaliation shining in his eyes.

Tonight was the night of the much anticipated sleepover—Harry got to show Ron all his toys and Bruce the turtle; Remus, Emmeline, and Sirius would finally have a long, sit-down conversation; and Molly Weasley would have one less child to convince to go to sleep. Remus was occupied with charming the photos of the Marauders he'd put up on the bookcases to avoid any awkward questions—only those who were actually in the photos would be able to see the actual image; others would see different scenery, from oceans to forests—while Emmeline listened as Harry reeled off everything he and Ron were going to do that night.

He'd just gotten to showing Ron Bruce's new flying trick when Remus poked his head into the kitchen. "You're certain your brother is working all night tonight?" he asked for what had to be the twentieth time that hour.

She rolled her eyes, smiling, before turning to him. "Positive," she told him. "It's something to do with following dementors on their searches. He's gotten it in his head that Sirius is immune to them."

"Took him long enough," Remus muttered, ruffling Harry's hair. "And I think it's fair to say that he'll be positively miserable to be around for the next week."

Emmeline nodded grimly as she helped Harry off the counter he'd been sitting on for the last hour. Once his feet touched the ground, Harry ran off to the other room to further prepare for Ron's arrival. "Do you think Harry's caught on to anything?" she asked, listening to Harry bounce around his bedroom. "About Sirius, I mean."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why would he have caught on to anything?" he asked. "We only discuss Sirius when he's gone to bed, and I doubt just mentioning a name would cause suspicion in an over-excited five-year-old; the only thing on his mind for the last three days has been this sleepover."

She shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "When he first came here, we spent an hour telling him where to kick Sirius if he ever saw him, and now were inviting Sirius into our home."

"First of all, _you_ told him where to kick Sirius—I believe I spent that entire discussion wincing and hiding that area. Secondly, it's not as though Sirius is going to join us at the dinner table. When the time comes, we will sit Harry down and do our best to explain everything to him. He's smart; he'll adjust."

Emmeline's eyebrow rose. "Remus, I'm smart, and an adult, and I still haven't adjusted fully to this."

Remus opened his mouth to respond when there was a knock on the door. "That'll be Arthur." He glanced at his watch. "Nearly an hour early..." he said, heading out of the kitchen. "If you'll get that, I'll do Harry's glamour charm."

"Deal." Emmeline waited until Remus had disappeared into Harry's bedroom, calmed down the excited screaming, and closed the bedroom door before going to get the flat's door. She opened the door and immediately had to push down a bout of laughter that was fighting to escape: Arthur stood there, Ron at his side, holding a lead that led to the dog that was as tall as the boy and that looked fairly annoyed at being restrained in this manner. "Hello, Arthur," Emmeline said, tearing her eyes from Sirius' mutinous ones. "Please, come in."

"Ah, thank you, Emmeline," Arthur said, following Ron inside the flat. "Sorry we're a bit early; Molly dropped Ron and Snuffles off at the Ministry and left in a bit of a hurry—Fred and George are at it again, I expect."

Emmeline winced in sympathy. "It's not a problem. Jamie's in his room now, if you want to head down there, Ron."

"Okay!" Ron said happily, running down the hallway.

"No running, Ron!" Arthur tried to call. Ron hadn't heard a word; Remus and Harry had exited Harry's room—the boy in full glamour charm—and the boys were already tearing through Harry's toy box. "If he gives you any trouble..."

Remus grinned having joined Emmeline, Arthur, and Sirius near the door. "I think we'll be able to handle it, Arthur," he said. "With the friends I had in school, I doubt they'll do anything I haven't seen before."

Arthur looked skeptical. "Well, here is Ron's overnight bag," he said. "His pajamas and toothbrush and everything are in there. And Molly's packed some of Snuffles' dog food for the night—he's very well-behaved." Remus gave a barely audible snort that only Emmeline and Sirius heard—Sirius shot Remus glare. "He mostly sleeps and eats."

_Hasn't changed a bit, then,_ Emmeline thought to herself. "I'm sure Ron and Snuffles will be fine. What time did you want us to bring Ron home tomorrow?"

"I'll leave that to your discretion," Arthur said. "Whenever you want a quiet moment to yourselves, I suppose."

After a few more minutes of chitchat before Arthur announced that he should head home and help Molly out with the twins. Once they'd assured him that they could handle Ron and his pet dog, Arthur left, leaving Remus, Emmeline, and Sirius in the living room alone. It had already been agreed upon that Sirius would remain in his Animagus form until the boys were asleep in bed, making it less likely that he would be seen outside of his big disguise.

"Well," Remus said to the dog, "make yourself at home. We'll save you a bit of dinner and you can have it later."

Sirius gave a soft _whuff_ of thanks before heading into the living room and lying down near the armchair. Emmeline noticed his eyes almost immediately found the photographs Remus had put up when they'd come here. After watching Sirius' unreadable expression for a few moments, Emmeline cleared her throat, snapping Remus out of his thoughts. "We should get started on dinner…" she said quietly.

He nodded, gave one last look at Sirius, and followed her to the kitchen.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and the boys were just now starting to drift off. Remus went in to tuck them into bed without a glance at Sirius, put Bruce back in his tank, and shut the light off. The dog lay curled up near Harry's desk and just before he closed the door, Remus jerked his head towards the hallway. Quietly, Sirius got up, glancing up briefly at the boys as Ron snorted and rolled onto his side.

Once in the hallway and the door was shut, Remus quickly cast a charm, muttering an incantation under his breath, that would keep the boys from hearing anything outside the door, but the adults would hear everything that happened if they woke up. Silently, the two wizards walked down the hallway to the living room where Emmeline waited on the sofa with a tray of tea on the table in front of her. She looked over as they entered, her eyes not once leaving Sirius' grey ones, even as he began to transform from the large black dog back to his human form.

"Hello, Emmeline," Sirius said quietly as Remus sat on the other side of the witch.

Her lips twitched. "Snuffles," she replied.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sat in an armchair beside his friends. "Not as obvious as Jamie," he said. "Am I really the only one who's figured out who he is?"

"Actually, yes. There are only a few people who know who he is—us, Dumbledore, Mad-Eye..." Remus shrugged. "Hasn't been an issue until now."

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving around the room and landing on the photos again. "So why do you two have Harry?"

"Dumbledore thought it'd be safer," Emmeline said. "Nobody knew why you'd broken out of Azkaban, and his best guess was that you wanted to go after Harry."

"I saw him a couple of times," Sirius said wistfully. "Went to Privet Drive about a week after I'd escaped."

Remus snorted. "Sirius, that wasn't Harry." Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "That was Mad-Eye under Polyjuice Potion."

"Well, that'll explain a lot—like why he was swearing about the Muggles, not to mention how he seemed to see me out of the back of his head..."

"Mad-Eye was there for a few weeks, until Dumbledore was comfortable with not having a decoy there," Emmeline said. "How close did you get to him?"

"Close enough to be cursed if I'd stayed longer than a few seconds," Sirius said, shrugging. "I'd just wanted to get a look at Harry."

Remus nodded. "Well, you'll be pleased to hear that as of this particular moment Albus Dumbledore is on your side," he began quietly, any traces of his former amusement pushed far aside. "He will want to speak with you soon as possible; we've just got to figure out a way to do it without alerting anybody else of anything odd going on."

"So," Sirius said hesitantly after a few moments of silence, "am I to take it that you two believe me as well?"

Remus exchanged a glance with Emmeline, each confirming their thoughts to each other in their eyes. "Yes," he said quietly. "We believe you."

Sirius let out a deep breath and sank back into the chair. "Thank you," he said quietly, looking between them.

"The question now is what do we do with the information we've been given?" Emmeline asked after giving Sirius a bit of time to get used to the idea that someone was once again on his side. "Unfortunately for all of us, this isn't something we can either sit on or freely announce."

Remus nodded his agreement. "Regardless of everything, the Ministry will suspect anything we say will be said because we're Sirius' friends. No matter that we present evidence that Peter Pettigrew is alive, that it was he who caused the explosion in London, that it was he who setup Lily and James so neatly for Voldemort's attack..." He paused, shaking his head. "The facts remain: I'm a werewolf and it's never been a secret that Sirius and I were once close. Even you, Emmeline, you weren't exactly quiet when Sirius was arrested; as I recall, Mad-Eye had to hit you with a few calming charms or you'd have been dragged off to the holding cells."

Sirius snorted a laugh, looking at Emmeline. "Cheers, Em," he muttered.

She only shrugged, a small smirk on her face. "So, gentlemen, now that we're all on the same page, what's our next step?"

"Finding Peter must be a top priority," Remus said. "It's bad enough he's been wandering freely for five years, but now who knows what he's going to do. He knows Sirius is after him, he's got a wand, what's to say he won't go running back to Death Eaters for protection?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I was in the highest security cells in Azkaban, surrounded by the most psychotic, most devoted Death Eaters we ever knew about. They're not happy with Peter. Far as they're concerned, it's Peter's fault Voldemort was defeated that night—it was on _his_ word that Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow..."

"Even still," Remus insisted, "Peter knows your location; what's to say he won't go running off to inform every Death Eater who'll hear him out?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, letting his head fall back on the chair. "Way to make me feel safe and secure, Moony," he grumbled.

Remus grinned at the sound of his nickname, not realizing until now how much he'd missed hearing it. Before anyone went on, Emmeline stood from the sofa, announcing that she'd promised Sirius a hot meal. Neither wizard spoke while she was gone, avoiding each other's eyes. Remus didn't know why things were suddenly awkward between him and Sirius, but before he had time to figure it out, Emmeline returned, stopping short of the sitting room, eyeing the wizards suspiciously as though wondering if they'd cast a silencing charm around the room just so they could argue.

For the next hour or so, Remus and Emmeline sat on the sofa together while Sirius told them everything—from a detailed explanation of what happened Halloween 1981 (mostly for Emmeline's benefit, since she'd only heard the tale secondhand from Remus) to his escape from Azkaban and subsequent adoption by the Weasley family. The discussion was punctuated as Sirius ate his first real meal as a human in months, and once by a brief panic when Harry could be heard shuffling around in the room he was sharing with Ron. Remus had quickly gone in with a glass of water and returned a few minutes later saying all was clear again; something in his expression told Emmeline he might have cast a sleeping charm over the two boys to avoid another incident.

During one of the longer lulls in conversation, Remus, who'd been abnormally silent since returning from Harry's room, sat forward, eyeing Sirius with an unidentifiable expression. Sirius apparently felt eyes on him as he polished off the large slice of cake Emmeline had brought him and met Remus' eyes wearily.

"What?" Sirius asked anxiously. "Do I have chocolate on my face?" He immediately began wiping his mouth and cheeks.

Remus ignored this. "Why were you at the cottage on the full moon?" he asked quietly, neither his tone nor expression betraying anything that was going on in his mind.

Emmeline's brow furrowed as she worked to figure out what Remus was talking about. She then recalled the first full moon after Remus had come to London with her and Harry. He'd returned the next morning looking angry and confused, and nursing a concussion.

Sirius ceased searching his face for chocolate and leant back in his armchair. "I dunno," he told Remus just as quietly. "I didn't really even realize it was full moon until I heard you behind me."

"If it hadn't been full moon," Emmeline began quietly, "would you have tried to make contact with him?" Sirius took a breath to respond, but Emmeline continued speaking over him. "You had to have known you wouldn't receive a warm reception."

"I don't know what I would've done, Em," Sirius told her, his tone almost exasperated. "Maybe I just wanted a glimpse at my ex-best mate," he jerked his head in Remus' direction, "like I thought I'd got of Harry. I went to your place to, Em, but, obviously, you weren't there..."

For the first time in a very long time, Emmeline felt genuinely sorry for Sirius Black, commiserated with him. She could only imagine how lonely and terrified he'd felt. Sirius had always been a social creature, someone who surrounded himself with the people he loved most in the world. She remembered with painful clarity how it had been for her to one day have all her friends, however much danger they were in, and still have the will to daydream about the day the war with Voldemort would end and they would have the chance to be normal again. But at least when she'd been so rudely tanked out of her daydream, she'd still had Remus to help her cope. They'd had each other to lean on, to remind the other that life wasn't over, no matter how often it felt otherwise.

Sirius hadn't had that, though. He'd gone from discovering the deaths of his friends at the hand of another, then had sought revenge only to be framed for the crime and tossed into a tiny cell with only dementors and mad prisoners for company. Had he even gotten the chance to grieve?

"I could have killed you," Remus said quietly, almost angrily. "I haven't had company on a full moon night since before James died; Moony never understood where you lot went, or why, or that you weren't ever coming back."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I managed to work that out for myself," he said dully. "Don't remember the last time Moony was so willing to play—"

Remus ignored him. "I escaped from the basement, Sirius, something I've never managed to do in all the years I've been transforming there. What if I'd taken off into the woods, towards town? I could've killed innocent people!"

"You didn't, though!" Sirius reminded him firmly. "I admit I didn't really think anything through that night, but I knew once you were there I had to keep you there. Why do you think I attacked you the way I did?"

"_You_ could have killed _him,_" Emmeline said, recalling the head injury Remus had received that night. She felt as though the conversation was going around in circles, but obviously Remus needed to discuss this.

"Which is why I took him back to the cottage and stayed with him until moonset," Sirius said as though stating the obvious. "I considered sending him through the Floo to St. Mungo's, but I knew that would only cause too much attention for everyone involved. I stayed long enough to make sure he was well enough to heal his injuries when he woke, then I left. And I'm sorry it happened that way, that I had to hurt you, Remus, but..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

Emmeline looked between the two wizards, unable to decide if Remus was truly angry or just annoyed at the memory of the incident. To her relief, after a few moments of staring at Sirius, he nodded slowly. "You did what you had to do," he said quietly.

Sirius met his gaze, nodding gratefully that Remus understood. "Yes," he replied just as quietly.

Minutes passed in silence. Remus and Sirius were still watching each other rather intently as though having a silent conversation. Remus was the first to break the eye contact and almost immediately reverted to his expressionless mask as he sipped at his drink. Emmeline continued to look between them, wanting to ask about what had just transpired—when Remus had looked away from him, Sirius' jaw clenched and he turned to stare at the wall. It wasn't much longer before Remus muttered something about bedtime; he stood without looking at the others, gathered the dishes, and headed for the kitchen, and a minute later, without a word, he disappeared down the hall.

Sirius waited until Remus had closed the bedroom door before sighing heavily and shooting Emmeline a wry smile. "That went well," he said tiredly, running his hands across his face.

"What the hell _was_ that?" Emmeline asked, her eyes darting between the hallway and Sirius.

When Sirius lowered his hands, she had to fight not to wince at the sudden deadened expression in his eyes. "He's angry that we didn't trust him enough when Lily and James went into hiding," he said tonelessly. "Apparently believing I'm innocent doesn't mean he's ready to forgive me think he was the traitor in the Order."

"And you got all that from watching him..." she said dubiously, her eyebrows rising.

Sirius' shoulders twitched in an approximation of a shrug, but he otherwise remained silent.

"I'll try talking to him," Emmeline said with a sigh. "Well, come on; it's late and the last thing we need is two five-year-old boys having free run of the place while we're all having a lie-in."

Sirius chuckled slightly and transformed into his Animagus form when Emmeline opened the door to Harry's room. She whispered a good night to him and watched fondly as the large black dog hopped up onto Harry's bed to lie down between Harry and Ron. She then headed into her bedroom, contemplating what Sirius had just told her. She always suspected the Marauders had their own way to privately communicate. Legilimency was a possible explanation, but as far as she knew, none of them had ever studied the technique. One of these days she'd have to ask Remus about it...

In the meantime, however, she'd have to deal with that other bit of information—the bit about Remus not forgiving Sirius his lack of trust. Over the years since the Potters deaths, she'd always suspected a lingering bitterness towards Sirius and James from Remus. They'd been his best friends for ten years, and even after doing what they had for him—becoming Animagi so he wouldn't have to spend full moons alone—they'd still suspected his betrayal due to his condition. It was enough to make anyone bitter, really. And Emmeline knew Remus would never admit his bitterness towards James out loud; the grief he felt over losing James overpowered everything else.

But Sirius was here, and Remus had spent five years bottling up anger and resentment and hurt towards the man he believed had betrayed them all. While Remus forgave Sirius a lot of thing over the course of their friendship, Emmeline knew this would be one thing that wouldn't be so easily accepted or forgotten.

Emmeline had assumed that Remus would handle this situation in the same manner he handled everything else that had bothered him: he'd keep his thoughts to himself so as to not bother other people with his troubles. But when she entered the bedroom, she found Remus sitting still fully clothed on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at his shoes.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked, closing the door softly and sitting beside him.

"Not particularly," he said, giving him a wry smile. "I suppose I just thought I'd moved past certain issues, and as it turns out, I haven't."

Emmeline nodded in understanding. "A lot of us made bad decisions back then, Remus. Learning the truth doesn't mean you have to suddenly forget everything that's happened."

He gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and stood. "I'm not quite ready for sleep just yet," he told her. "I think I'll go read something."

Before she could even respond, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**AN:** Shorter chapter than normal, but things are going to start speeding up next chapter. Not sure how much longer the story will go on—I'm estimating at least four more chapters, if not more. Anyway, please review!


	14. Fourteen

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Fourteen_

For the first time in years, Remus Lupin was content with his life. It had been so long since he hadn't dwelled on the loss of his friends at least once a day. But over the last months, regardless of the situation, he was able curb his thoughts more easily than ever before. Between focusing most of his energy on keeping up with Harry, a bit more trying to find a way to clear Sirius' name by searching for Peter, and what tiny shred was left at the end of the day trying to gather up all his nerve to finally admit aloud to Emmeline that he had more than platonic feelings for her, he hadn't had time to dwell on other things.

_Course she'd have to be deaf and blind not to have figured it out by now_, he thought wryly, watching Harry run circles in the living room, his pet turtle Bruce sitting atop a miniature broomstick. Remus and Emmeline had learned early on that it was best to let Harry run out his energy first thing in the morning without interference—the boy couldn't sit still at the best of times, but mornings seemed to be when he had the most pent up energy.

And it was times like these when Remus managed to completely forget the true reason he was here in this flat with Harry Potter and Emmeline Vance. The recollection that this was all an act, an assignment given to them by the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, was shoved completely out of sight and mind. He could pretend that he and Emmeline were together voluntarily, that together they were raising the son of their lost best friends, and that life was meant to be this way. He could even ignore Emmeline's older brother Michael who had been staying with them on and off for months now. To their everlasting relief, Michael, for the most part, had been away from London on the search for Sirius Black. He only ever returned to the flat once, maybe twice every few weeks. Remus and Emmeline had rather enjoyed feeding the Auror false leads on where mad mass murderer Sirius Black may be hiding this week.

Remus glanced over his shoulder, feeling eyes upon him. Emmeline was leaning against the wall beside the kitchen, a fond smile on her face as she watched Harry jump from the sofa cushions to the armchair to the coffee table and back again. Remus shot her a grin and she headed back into the kitchen to finish breakfast. At the sound of the shower being turned off, Remus glanced at the clock on the wall, having forgotten completely that Michael had yet to leave for work. Luckily for everyone, it had become habit for Emmeline to place Harry under his glamour charm when she went to wake him in the morning.

It wasn't until that morning in early March that Remus realized just how content he'd become in this new life. They'd gotten lax in their assignment, something Mad-Eye had warned them about early on; they'd told him they could handle this, that their love of Harry wouldn't blind them to what Dumbledore had wanted them to do. It was the knock on the door that startled him and Emmeline out of their daydreams.

Remus stared at the door for long moments, his brow furrowed in confusion. There had only been a few visitors in the time they'd been in this London flat—Mad-Eye, Dumbledore, and the occasional Weasley—and none of them knocked quite like that. Nor did they announce themselves the way the people outside the door had done.

"Ministry of Magic," called a booming, though slightly muffled voice. "Open up."

Remus immediately caught Harry as the boy continued making his rounds around the furniture and looked over at the kitchen doorway, finding Emmeline also staring at the door, looking slightly pale. "Stay here, Harry," Remus murmured quietly to the boy, setting him down on the armchair. He stood up, Emmeline coming to stand beside Harry as he went to the door.

Heart beating frantically, Remus glanced once more at Emmeline—she looked anxious as she nodded for him to open the door—and turned the knob, revealing their visitors. In the hallway stood three Aurors, all of whom were vaguely familiar to Remus, though he couldn't recall their names. He glanced down at their hands, finding all three holding their wands at their sides and the one of front carrying a roll of parchment in his free hand.

"Remus Lupin?" asked the one with the parchment.

"Yes," Remus heard himself reply hoarsely, unable to even wonder how they'd known where to find him.

"May we come in?"

"I'm sorry, we were just sitting down to breakfast," Remus said in the strongest tone he could muster, blocking the Aurors' view into the flat.

The first Auror raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't a request," he replied coolly. "We've a warrant for your arrest."

Remus felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop. "M-my arrest?" he asked dumbly. The Auror ignored him, pushing open the door and pushing Remus backwards out of his way.

"On what charges?" Emmeline demanded after the last Auror entered and closed the door. Remus couldn't recall when they'd come to stand beside each other, nor when he'd reached out for her hand.

Before the first Auror could open his mouth, a door down the hall opened and someone else joined the scene. "Ah, took you boys long enough!" said the new arrival rather jovially. Remus and Emmeline turned at the same time to find Michael Vance standing just inside the living room, buttoning his robes after his shower. "What are you waiting for, then? Arrest him."

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Emmeline said loudly as the Aurors began closing in on Remus. She stepped in front of him, glaring at the wizards. "_What are the charges?"_

The Auror in charge met her glare, but lowered his wand as he'd been preparing to magically bind Remus' hands. He unrolled his parchment and read aloud, "_The charges against Remus J. Lupin, registered werewolf, are as follows: The accused knowingly and willingly withheld information from the Ministry of Magic that would have led to the capture of escaped prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black. Furthermore, the accused knowingly and willingly perjured himself on numerous occasions when questioned by the Ministry of Magic about the whereabouts of Sirius Black. Lastly, the accused knowingly and willingly violated Werewolf Statute regarding minor children residing with registered lycanthropes to whom they have no blood relation_." The Auror's eyes darted towards the still-glamoured child sitting on his knees in the armchair. "_All charges against the accused are to be met by the detainment of the accused in the Ministry of Magic holding cells where he will await trial and sentencing."_

The living room was silent for several moments, Remus staring at the Auror's feet as his mind whirled through possible ways out of this situation. His mind was frighteningly blank. Emmeline's, though, apparently was not. "What the hell are you playing at?" she shouted.

Remus' head snapped up, expecting to find the witch glaring at the Aurors, and she was, but not the one he'd expected. He turned slightly to find her standing directly in front of her older brother, looking more livid than Remus had ever seen her look. _And if the situation wasn't so dire, chances are I'd enjoy the sight... So long as it wasn't directed at me, of course..._

Michael raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his face as he met his sister's eyes. "Did you think I was stupid, Emmeline?" he asked coldly. "Did you really think I would have never discovered the truth about you and your..." he looked disdainfully at Remus, "_husband_?"

For a moment, Remus thought Emmeline might slap Michael, but the next moment, she spun around, once again moving to stand between Remus and the Aurors. "You can't do this," she told them, her voice wavering in anger.

"Oh, but I assure you, Miss Vance, we can," replied the Auror smoothly. "Now step aside before we decide to arrest you as well."

Remus' eyes widened; though he couldn't see her face, he knew her mouth was opening, daring the Aurors to do their worst. "Emmeline," he said urgently, placing his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down before she did something rash, "don't do this."

She turned around to face him. "Remus, they can't do this to you! I won't _let _them!"

Remus gave her a small smile and bent his head very slightly to place a brief kiss on her forehead. "I'll be okay," he assured her just as he felt his arms being yanked behind his back, his hands being tied together by invisible rope.

"Remus," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Meeting her eyes one last time, he mouthed one word that ended her objections: _Harry._

Her eyes closed, a tear escaping down her cheek, but when she opened them again, she'd regained her composure, nodding that she understood what he was getting at.

As he was being led from the flat at wandpoint, another voice objected. "Leave him alone!" The child's voice was immediately followed by a small pair of feet hitting the carpeted floor and running footsteps. The last view Remus got of Emmeline and Harry was the witch rushing forward to grab the boy around the waist. Harry was still yelling when the Aurors and Remus Disapparated in the hallway.

* * *

Emmeline struggled to hold onto Harry as he continued to squirm and yell for Remus to come back. She stared at the door, wondering if what had just happened had actually happened, not to mention _how_ it had happened. A clearing of the throat called her attention back to reality. Anger boiled in her veins as she placed Harry on his feet and slowly turned to face her smug brother who was now leaning against a wall.

"You were behind this," she stated in a deadly tone she knew he would recognize. "You had Remus arrested."

Pushing himself off the wall, Michael met his sister halfway across the room. "Of course I did," he sneered. "And Cutler was right, he could have arrested you along with him. I, however, managed to convince the Aurors that you didn't know what Lupin had been doing, that you didn't have any knowledge that he's been consorting with murderers, that he kidnapped a child." Michael's eyes, just like the Auror's, darted briefly at Harry. "I've read his file; Lupin has no siblings, therefore no nieces and nephews. Where did he get the boy, then? What was he planning on doing with him? Trying to build a werewolf army, perhaps, with the help of a young pureblooded woman under his control?"

"You bastard," Emmeline hissed, moving forward and only stopping when she was toe to toe with her brother. She looked up into the pair of eyes so like her father's, having never felt such loathing for another person. "You've absolutely no idea what you've just done."

Rather than remain where she stood and risk her own arrest after she struck a Ministry of Magic Auror, she turned on her heel, closed the distance between herself and Harry, took him into her arms, and left the flat without a backwards glance.

"Hold on tightly, Harry," she said quietly as she prepared to Apparate. The boy tightened his grip around her neck and buried his head into her shoulder. Taking a few deep breaths to quell her anger—the last thing she needed was to splinch both herself and Harry—she focused on her destination, spun on the spot, and in the blink of an eye, she and Harry were stood in front of the tall iron gates that surrounded the familiar grounds. Her thoughts almost automatically turned to the days of her youth, when she and her friends would sit by the lake on a nice day, laughing and planning their futures, or lying by herself on the shore, daydreaming about a sandy-haired Gryffindor boy...

She tore her eyes from the lake, letting them travel across the grounds before they rested on the large, majestic castle. She felt Harry raise his head and do the same. "Where are we?" he asked quietly.

"Hogwarts," she responded. "We're going to speak with Professor Dumbledore."

Placing Harry on the ground and taking his hand, Emmeline started on the path to the castle entrance, hardly glancing around at the students they passed. It was only when she started to hear the whispers that she took her eyes off her destination.

"Is that Harry Potter?"

"Can't be... Heard he was in Bulgaria after You-Know-Who disappeared."

"I think I can see the scar! Look, right there between his eyes!"

Startled, Emmeline looked down, finding not the dark blue eyes and blond hair Harry had worn when they'd left the flat, but his usual emerald green eyes hidden behind glasses, his head topped with scruffy black hair. "Bloody hell," she whispered, once again picking Harry off the ground and increasing her pace into the castle.

"But my glamour charm!" Harry exclaimed when the large heavy doors closed behind them.

"I don't think it matters right now, sweetie," Emmeline told him. "We're safe here at any rate." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince of this—herself or Harry.

They rushed through the castle corridors, nearly bowling over groups of students as they made their way to lessons, passed several professors including Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape without even a glance in their direction. Before long, they'd reached the large stone gargoyle that hid the staircase to the Headmaster's office. It took a moment for Emmeline to remember the latest password—jelly slugs—but at last the gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase. Emmeline stepped onto the first step without hesitation. Harry started a little as stone grinded against stone as the staircase began its ascent to Dumbledore's study.

The boy in her arms sighed. "I want Remus," he whispered, dropping his head back onto her shoulder.

Her eyes closed tightly, hugging Harry closer to her. "So do I," she responded.

At the top of the staircase, Emmeline reached out a shaking hand to the griffin-shaped doorknocker, using it to knock three times on the door.

"Enter," called the voice from inside.

The door opened on its own accord and they entered, looking directly at Albus Dumbledore who sat behind his desk looking troubled. It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she realized it wasn't news to Dumbledore's ears. "They've arrested Remus."

Dumbledore nodded gravely, gesturing for Emmeline to take a seat before his desk. "I am aware," he said quietly. "I received the news just an hour ago."

"And you didn't think to warn us?" Emmeline shouted. "He could have run! He could have avoided this!"

"He could have run," Dumbledore agreed. "But it only would have made things worse in the end. For now, there is nothing neither you nor I could do to stop the series of events that lie before us."

"So you're just going to let him sit in a cell, waiting to be sent to Azkaban?"

Dumbledore looked at her sharply, reminding her with one glance exactly who he was—the leader of the Order of the Phoenix; one of the most powerful wizards in the world. "I've said no such thing," he said sternly. "I've only stated that Remus must remain where he is for the moment. We must sort our problems piece by piece in order to resolve them."

Dumbledore looked away from her to Harry, smiling slightly at the boy. Emmeline looked at him as well; Harry's green eyes were watching her in surprise. She realized she'd never raised her voice in his presence before, and today she'd done it more than any other time in her life. With a smile she hoped communicated her anger wasn't directed towards him, she dropped a kiss on the top of his head. She turned back to Dumbledore, feeling much calmer. "And what are our problems exactly, as you see them?"

The Headmaster turned his smile to her, the familiar mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "What indeed..." he said mysteriously.

* * *

Three days.

Three days ago, Aurors had arrived at the London flat where Remus, Emmeline, and Harry had been staying, attempting to keep their heads down and out of trouble, while at the same time trying to clear the name of Sirius Black. Not until he'd heard the knock on the door did Remus realize how dreadfully they'd failed not only their assignment but Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. He'd allowed the thrill of pretending to raise Harry in a happy, uneventful household along with Emmeline to cloud reality. He'd let his guard down, allowed people to get close to him—to _them_—and it placed them directly in jeopardy. He hadn't realized until he'd heard that knock on the door that they were no longer protecting Harry from Sirius Black, or Peter Pettigrew for that matter, but from the rest of the world, the world that would tear them apart without a second thought.

It was easy for Remus to face the charges of aiding and abetting Sirius Black; if they ever took him to trial, he would freely admit it to the Wizengamot. The one thing that bothered him most about the situation was the fact that the Ministry had managed to remind him of the thing he'd so readily forgotten: he was a werewolf. Werewolves weren't allowed to live normal lives. Werewolves could never provide a safe and happy home for any child, let alone the savior of the wizarding world. Werewolves shouldn't allow happiness to cloud what they were, that love was out of the question, even if given freely as it had been by Emmeline and Harry.

Remus had spent the better part of the last three days under intense interrogation as the Ministry demanded to know the current whereabouts of Sirius Black. He'd attempted more than once to demand the presence of an advocate, preferably in the form of Albus Dumbledore, but they'd stated quite early that werewolves did not have the right to legal representation during detainment. Unfair, but expected. They demanded he tell them everything he knew about the prisoner's escape. Somehow he'd managed to tell them as little as possible, which explained the extended about of time spent questioning him. Yes, he knew Sirius Black. Yes, he'd seen Sirius Black since Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban. No, he couldn't tell them Sirius Black's current whereabouts. Oh sorry, not couldn't, _wouldn't_.

They didn't seem to like his answers. The use of Veritaserum had been approved, but quickly proved useless; they'd attested this to Remus being only half-human. Perhaps werewolves were immune to truth serums, they'd mused. He'd half-expected them to walk into the room with a selection of weapons made of silver in the hopes the threats of their use might loosen Remus' tongue. Rather disappointedly, they hadn't done—after the days he'd had, Remus really could have used a laugh.

_Guess the Ministry does teach its staff against werewolf myths, after all,_ he mused, his eyes drifting closed as he lay on the cot in his cell. _Didn't stop them avoiding me as though I was contagious, though... _

Unlike a normal arrestee, Remus hadn't once been touched by any Auror during his captivity. There were no careless shoves or yanking as they moved him from cell to interrogation room, and back; they remained a safe distance away from him, still in position to detain him should he try and run.

By the end of last night's interrogation, Remus still had no inkling whether he would be sent to Azkaban, awaiting Sirius' return. Mad-Eye had entered the interrogation room and had a whispered conversation with the other Aurors. Remus had tried to listen to the conversation, but between being exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated, his ability to eavesdrop on whispered Auror conversations was nearly non-existent at that point. All he knew was that the next minute Mad-Eye was helping him out of his chair, walking him back to his cell, and promising a prompt food and water delivery. He hardly recalled the meal, having wolfed it down within minutes before passing out on his cot.

He'd only been awake a short time when he heard the door to the holding cells open and two sets of footsteps heading down the corridor towards him. Assuming it was time for another round of interrogation, or perhaps his time to make Azkaban his new home, he didn't bother getting up. With these cheerful thoughts in mind, Remus closed his eyes again, hoping to maintain what little energy he still had for whatever was ahead for him.

"All right, you?"

Remus sat straight up in his cot at the sound of Emmeline's quiet voice, full of relief that he was certain his own expression mirrored exactly. "Emmeline," he croaked, wincing at how weak his voice sounded. "What hap—what're you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow, eyes sparkling in amusement. "Well, I was going to get you out of here, but if you'd rather I leave..."

"No!" he said hastily, even though he knew she was bluffing as she turned and started away from him. "No, don't go."

She smiled and approached the bars, looking him over concernedly. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, reaching through the bars to push some of his hair out of his face. He felt himself relax completely for the first time in days at her touch.

"Better now," he said honestly. He opened his mouth to go on, but another set of footsteps joined her at the cell. "Hello, Alastor."

"Lupin," the Auror greeted in a grunt. "Sorry it took us so long, we only just worked out a deal with the Minister."

Remus' brow furrowed in question at this, but let it wait as his cell door was opened. He stepped out and looked between Emmeline and Mad-Eye. "What now?"

Mad-Eye sized him up for a moment. "Now you go home, eat, drink, and sleep, then Vance will fill you in. Dumbledore will be in contact." Before Remus could so much as raise an eyebrow, the Head Auror was already clunking his way out of the holding cells.

"Informative," Remus muttered as the door closed. "As always."

Emmeline rolled her eyes and slipped her arm inside his. "Come on, Mad-Eye's right. There's a lot to talk about..."

It wasn't until they reached the Atrium of the Ministry that Remus realized what was missing. He glanced around them, looking everywhere for the scruffy-headed green-eyed boy, or at least the boy hidden by a glamour charm. "Where's Harry?" he asked.

Emmeline only sighed and avoided his eyes every time he glanced at her. "Not here," she said quietly, her voice sounding rather choked. His worry only increased, but he remained silent until they Flooed back to the London flat. As she headed off to the kitchen to follow Mad-Eye's instructions about getting Remus fed and watered, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Em?" he said quietly. Instead of immediate audible response, Emmeline wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her head on his shoulder. When his arms came around to hug her, he felt her body start to shake. "What is it?" he whispered. "What happened?"

Very hesitantly, she lifted her head, her eyes rimmed with red. "They've sent Harry back to the Dursleys."

Remus felt his eyes widen. "What?" he breathed. "Why?"

Emmeline pulled away from him and sighed shakily as she led him by the hand to the sofa. "After they took you away," she began calmly, "I took Harry and went to Hogwarts to see Dumbledore. He knew, Remus, about the Aurors, he knew they were coming for you."

Remus sighed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised," he said dully. "Why didn't he warn us?"

"Because he had to choose between warning you and warning Sirius. If you'd both disappeared, it would have been so much worse for you when they found you. By warning Sirius, he was able to leave the Burrow before the Ministry showed up to search there."

"Wait," Remus interrupted, "how did they know Sirius was at the Burrow?"

The witch rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Michael," she ground out of her clenched teeth. "Apparently he received an anonymous tip a few months back that he's been following. I don't know the details, don't know who sent it, but it stated quite plainly where Sirius was hiding."

"Bloody hell," Remus muttered. "And the Weasleys? How'd they take it?"

Emmeline grinned a little. "Well, you tell me, Remus, how do you think Molly Weasley would react to accusations of hiding an escaped fugitive in her home alongside her children?" Remus snorted a laugh at the vision that popped up in his mind. "She and Arthur let the Aurors search and once they turned up nothing, rumor has it Molly set her chickens to chase them off the property."

"Nice," Remus snickered. Emmeline smiled weakly and his amusement dissipated quickly. "Where's Sirius now?"

She shrugged. "No idea," she sighed. "Wherever it is, hope it's good. He's going to be there awhile."

Remus nodded his agreement, then recalled the original line of discussion that had led to this moment. "And Harry?" he asked reluctantly.

Emmeline fell back into the cushions of the sofa, still gripping his hand almost painfully. "When we came back from Hogwarts, there was a Ministry witch waiting for us from child welfare and a wizard from Magical Law Enforcement. They said Harry wasn't safe in our custody. I argued that Dumbledore placed him with us, to which they informed me that Albus Dumbledore no longer has a part in keeping Harry Potter safe."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Did they say why?"

"Only that our objective was to keep Harry safe from Sirius Black and considering what you were arrested for, they didn't think we'd done a very decent job of it."

He grinned humorlessly. "Considering the circumstances, can't say I blame them much on that..." He sighed. "I assume you've spoken to Dumbledore since that." She nodded. "What is our next course of action?"

"We need to find Peter," she said with a heavy sigh. "It's the only way to clear up this whole mess..."

"So we're right back where we were," Remus began slowly, "only we haven't got Harry to deal with."

"Exactly," Emmeline sighed.

Remus glanced at her, realizing suddenly he hadn't been the only person living in daydreams since this assignment had begun. Hesitantly, he pulled his hand from hers and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him, resting his cheek against her hair. "We'll get him back," he heard himself promising her. "We'll get Harry back and we'll find Peter and we'll prove Sirius is innocent, and everything will be the way it's supposed to be."

She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Will it?" she whispered.

His brow furrowed, a question on the tip of his tongue about what she'd meant by that—he rather got the impression she was inquiring about more than just the situation with Sirius and Harry—but he chose to remain silent for the time being. There would be time enough later for that. They sat together for several minutes, neither of them speaking, neither of them moving; it wasn't until Emmeline sighed heavily that reality set in once more. She pulled away first, looking around the flat sadly before settling her eyes on his, her expression filled with the utmost reluctance.

"I suppose there isn't any more reason to stay here," she said quietly. "We can work just as well at our own homes after all."

Remus felt as though he'd been thrown in a pool of icy water. He hadn't considered the possibility that with Harry out of the equation, he and Emmeline would go their separate ways.

_What? You thought she'd just decide this was the perfect arrangement? After everything you put her through when you were younger—the asking her out, getting her hopes up, only to get cold feet at the last possible moment, then sending one of your mates to tell her you were feeling ill or something—she'd still want to give you a chance? _

He swallowed hard, trying to block the voice out. It was ridiculous, he knew, worrying about this right now. Everything they'd worked for over the last few months—keeping Harry safe; trying to prove Sirius' innocence—had completely gone to hell, and he was worrying about whether Emmeline might still fancy him.

"You're probably right," he said hoarsely, removing his arm from around her shoulders. As he looked around the flat, at everything they'd have to pack up and separate, he missed the look of disappointment that flashed across Emmeline's face. He turned back towards her, forcing a smile onto his face. "Moon'll be full soon anyway, and I wouldn't mind sleeping in my own bed..."

She nodded and they silently went to work. When they'd moved into the flat, all they'd brought along were a few bags of their own clothes, books, and photographs. The things in Harry's room had been things Remus and Emmeline had bought over the years in the hopes that when it came time for the next Christmas or Harry's next birthday, they'd be able to give him those things themselves. Then of course, there were the dozens of gifts they _had _given him for Christmas; the new clothes they'd bought him, ones that fit better than the potato sacks the Dursleys had fitted him with. It occurred very suddenly to Remus that though he and Emmeline had acquired new possessions since the beginning of the mission, mostly everything here belonged to Harry.

In order to avoid Emmeline finding him curled up and rocking back and forth like a mental patient in the bedroom that had originally been his before Michael Vance had come to stay with him, Remus quickly reached for a stack of books, knocking down a wooden box in the process. He glanced down curiously, realizing his books had been resting on the box of chess pieces Emmeline had gotten him for Christmas. Blinking rapidly, he quickly finished packing his things, sealed and shrank the box, and placed it in his pocket with the rest before going out to find Emmeline.

He found her standing motionless in the door of Harry's bedroom. "Nearly done?" he asked quietly.

She made no move to indicate she'd even heard him. With a concerned frown, Remus walked to stand just behind her, looking over her head into the room.

"What is it?" he whispered, tentatively resting his hands on her arms.

She sniffed as though she'd come down with a sudden cold and leaned back into his embrace. "They wouldn't let him take Bruce," she murmured, pulling his arms around her. "He wanted to, begged me to get Bruce for him," her voice cracked; Remus' grip around her tightened a bit, "but they wouldn't even let him take his clothes or his pillow..."

Remus let out a ragged sigh. "Well, then," he said against her hair, "we'll just have to take all his things, Bruce included, and keep them safe for when he's with us again."

After another few moments of silence, save the occasional sniffle from Emmeline, the witch finally nodded resolutely and gently pulled away from his embrace. She crossed the room and prepared Bruce the turtle for transportation. She glanced between the tank and Remus with her lips slightly pursed. "Perhaps I'll come back for Bruce," she said wryly. "Last time I Apparated with a pet, it was a baby rabbit for my niece, and let's just say she had nightmares for a year."

For the first time in days, Remus laughed, ignoring the glare Emmeline was sending. Any other time, he may have been worried about repercussion in the form of one of Emmeline's more embarrassing jinxes, but the blush creeping up her neck and cheeks rather belied any threat she'd intended to make. She kept the glare for another minute or so before finally grinning and rolling her eyes. "You're a total git, you know that?" she asked, pushing him backwards out of Harry's room.

"I have heard that once or twice," he told her, still snickering.

Their amusement faded as they looked around the flat. Without their books, photos, and other personal belongings scattered about, the place felt awkward and uncomfortable.

"That's it then, I guess," Emmeline whispered, her eyes darting around everywhere before eventually landing anxiously on Remus' face.

"I guess so," he said hoarsely.

Emmeline stood with an expression Remus could only describe as expectant, but couldn't for the life of him figure out what she was waiting for. His brow furrowed, her eyebrows rose slightly, and after a few of the most uncomfortable minutes of his life, Emmeline breathed a sigh, her shoulders sagging in disappointment.

"Well, I suppose we'll be seeing each other soon," she said in a forced matter-of-fact tone. "Take care, Remus."

He opened his mouth to respond, to say something—anything—but as the words began to form, Emmeline Disapparated.

"Smooth, Moony," he muttered to himself, preparing to Disapparate as well. "Real smooth."

* * *

**AN:** Well, that sucks... It gets worse, though, so hold off on the torches and pitchforks for a while. Please review!


	15. Fifteen

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Fifteen_

Five days after leaving the flat he and Emmeline had shared with Harry, Remus felt as though he'd been dropped into some sort of limbo. Upon returning to his home, he'd almost immediately fallen back into his old routine: wake up, have a bowl of slightly stale cereal with milk rapidly approaching its expiration date, take a shower, dress, scour the employment section of the _Prophet_, putter about the house for a while, maybe read a book, have dinner, go to bed, and repeat the next day. It was a lonely existence, he had to admit. When he read something amusing or heard something interesting on the wireless, he then turned to ask Emmeline's opinion only to realize he was completely alone. And the approaching full moon only made things worse; he was agitated and anxious. Even when his days were broken up by the search for Peter Pettigrew, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd failed in his duties, failed to keep his friends safe and happy and together. Failed to live up to his own ridiculously high expectations.

With a deep sigh, Remus glanced over at the clock, then at the pathetic soup and sandwich he'd prepared for his dinner. He needed out of the routine, needed to convince himself the past months hadn't been some extravagant daydream he'd worked up in his own mind. Sitting on the kitchen counter was a letter from Dumbledore. Remus had read it only once, when it had first arrived, and hadn't thought anymore of it; it was too dangerous for everyone involved and very much against what Dumbledore and Mad-Eye would advise.

_Haven't listened to any of their advice since this whole mess started,_ he thought dully, reading the letter again, _why start now?_

His decision made, Remus quickly cleaned up his dinner, grabbed his wand off the kitchen table, and Apparated to London. Having spent the majority of the last five days in silence and solitude, the noise coming from the windows of the houses on Grimmauld Place was nearly painful. He managed to block out the oncoming headache long enough to glance around, checking that he hadn't been followed—and why would he have been? Only he and Dumbledore knew what was hidden here. Almost automatically, his eyes landed on the ever-widening gap between Numbers Eleven and Thirteen, waiting for Number Twelve to appear. Once it had, Remus walked forward towards the door as though it was completely normal to approach a house that hadn't been there a second before. It was completely normal to approach a house in which he'd never been welcome five or ten years ago. Even now he was uncertain whether his presence would be appreciated, but something needed to be done.

He didn't know whether to knock or ring the bell or just enter. Settling on the last, he adjusted the grip on his wand, tapped the lock, and pushed open the door just enough to slip in and close it behind him. He only made it three steps into the hallway when his foot connected with something hard, knocking it on its side with a crash. All around him, voices began to scream obscenities at him, call him a filthy dog, and try to chase him out of the house of their forebears.

He tried to move in any direction to get away from the noise, but he kept slipping up on what felt like sticks beneath his feet. Then just as suddenly as the noise began, it ceased. Remus just had enough time to register the renewed silence before he felt a wand against his throat.

"Better identify yourself or you'll be joining the family's house-elves on the wall," growled a low voice just inches from him.

Remus' brow furrowed. "Your family keeps house-elves on the wall?" he whispered incredulously.

The wand jabbed deeper into throat for a brief moment before the pressure disappeared altogether. "Moony?" whispered the other voice.

"Yes, it's me."

"Bloody hell, mate." He heard the other person turn away from him, lighting his wand to lead them down the hallway. "Couldn't've just sent an owl ahead? I would've at least met you at the door."

"Sorry," Remus replied, now heading down a set of stairs. "It was a rather last minute decision, though. What the bloody hell did I knock over by the door?"

"Dead troll leg umbrella stand," Sirius replied dismissively. They'd entered a long kitchen and the other wizard gestured for Remus to take a seat while he retrieved drinks for them. "Always hated that thing. I swear it moves on its own sometimes..."

"Lovely," Remus muttered, taking in the room itself. He'd been here only once before and only to Sirius' bedroom, during the summer before sixth year. The Marauders had planned on spending the last week of their holidays at James' house. Remus and Peter had arrived on time, and they'd waited all night for Sirius. No one had heard from him, and they'd started to get worried; Sirius' home life had been spiraling steadily downwards for years, ever since he'd had the audacity to become a Gryffindor, and every time he'd returned from holidays spent with his family, he'd have a few new bruises or scars or other injuries.

It wasn't until about three in the morning that an owl tapped on James' window carrying a letter from their friend. He'd had a fight with his father over going to see his friends, and his father had won. He could barely sit up, the letter had said, let alone get to James' house. Sirius had ended the letter with an assurance that he'd be fine, that his friends needn't worry about him, and he'd see them on the Hogwarts Express in a week.

James had crumpled the letter in his hand, looking angrier than Remus had ever seen him. None of them had discussed their next course of action; nearly in unison, Remus, James, and Peter stood up, snuck out of the house while James' parents slept, and grabbed their broomsticks from the shed. Half an hour into their flight from Dorset to London, they'd admitted they should have planned a little better, grabbed a few jackets or something, but they made it to London without catching hypothermia and rather quickly located Sirius' home.

Somebody, probably James, had suggested just bursting into the house, cursing Sirius' parents, grabbing their friend, and getting back home; Remus decided a little subtlety might be in order. They flew their broomsticks up to the house, checking inside to see which room was Sirius' bedroom; James came to the conclusion that the window whose curtains were red and gold instead of green and silver had to be the right one.

Sirius had been lying face down in his bed, still fully clothed and shod, and at first, the Marauders had feared him dead. Remus had never been so relieved to see the rising and falling of Sirius' back that proved him to be breathing, however labored it may have been. It took them nearly an hour to make Sirius well enough for travel—they'd had to set a few broken bones, seal several deep gashes on his face and chest, and stabilize his concussion. Peter flew back to Dorset carrying Sirius' school trunk; Remus and James flew side-by-side, both of them working to keep their friend upright.

When James' parents had come down to breakfast the next morning and found all boys sitting at the table having breakfast James had cooked for them, they'd taken one look at Sirius, then at the three other exhausted teenage boys, and had come to their own conclusion. Nobody discussed what had happened in Sirius' home the night before; Mrs. Potter had very carefully healed each and every one of Sirius' injuries and had assured him he was welcome in their home anytime for as long as he needed.

Remus could only imagine how it felt to Sirius, being back here after all that time, knowing nowhere else was safe. Already, Sirius seemed restless, almost desperate to do something to break whatever miserable routine he himself had fallen into. Remus could definitely sympathize with that.

"Emmeline didn't come with you?" Sirius asked, sitting at the table across from Remus, sliding a bottle of butterbeer across to him.

Remus reached out a hand to stop the bottle and took a sip before answering. "No, she didn't," he replied quietly. "No one knows I'm here."

Sirius nodded as though there was nothing strange about any of this. "I see you survived your stint at the Ministry."

Remus snorted a laugh. "Yeah, well, spending three days under intense interrogation isn't exactly level with five years in Azkaban with dementor company," he responded dryly.

"Still," Sirius said, shrugging.

Falling into an awkward silence during which both men tried to think of something substantial to say to the other, Remus realized he and Sirius hadn't been alone together for any real length of time since Boxing Day when they'd met at Godric's Hollow cemetery. They hadn't had a chance to discuss everything that had happened since Remus' arrest, to try to formulate a plan to set things right again. As time and silence dragged on, Remus began to wonder if something had broken in terms of his friendship with Sirius back in 1981, something irreparable. It seemed as though every time they were left alone bitterness formed a wall between them, but no matter how much Remus tried to break it down, it just seemed to get worse. He didn't want to admit it to anybody, least of all himself, that he thought he knew why his and Sirius' friendship was so strained.

Emmeline had been right; Remus was bitter and hurt every time he recalled his friends hadn't trusted him when it had most mattered. Remus could forgive Sirius for doing what he had, for switching Secret-Keepers to Peter; he could forgive Sirius his lack of foresight in not realizing Peter had been the spy. But he couldn't seem to forgive Sirius his lack of trust. Emmeline could say all she wanted how she understood how he felt, but when it came down to it, she couldn't. _Her _best friends hadn't ever suspected her of betraying them. _Her_ best friends hadn't passed over her when it came time to decide who best to keep them safe.

Looking back, Emmeline had been the only person whose trust in Remus had never wavered.

"So what are we going to do about Harry and Peter?" Sirius asked, jolting Remus from his thoughts.

Remus quickly reburied his old bitterness in favor of replying. "There isn't much we can do about Harry at the moment," he said heavily. "The Ministry is dead set against Dumbledore right now, and I doubt they think too highly of Emmeline and myself at the moment, either; one of the conditions of my release from Ministry custody is that I'm not to go anywhere near Little Whinging or where Harry might be at any given point of time."

"Nice," Sirius muttered sarcastically. "Don't suppose anyone has any brilliant ideas of how to get him back?"

Remus shook his head. "Not yet," he said regretfully. "I think Emmeline might be working on something, but..." He trailed off, shrugging. "As for Peter..." He rolled his eyes, wishing he had some other answer. "Well, we're at the same dead end."

"So nothing's changed?" Sirius asked. "Harry gets shipped off back to the Muggles, Peter's out wandering around free as can be, and I'm stuck in my mother's house with her mad portrait screaming at me every time I pass and an equally mad house-elf. That's just brilliant."

Remus opened his mouth to ask about the house-elf, but Sirius cut him off.

"What the hell were you thinking, anyway?" he shot at Remus. Remus raised a questioning eyebrow. "I thought the whole point of Dumbledore's assignment was to keep Harry away from the wizarding world, to avoid something like this. Maybe if you'd kept under glamour charms, kept from making friends with the first family that directed a bit of hospitality at you, maybe you'd still have Harry."

Remus felt his jaw drop at Sirius' words. "You're blaming _me_ for this?" he asked incredulously. "I did everything I could to keep Harry with us, Emmeline and I both did. It's not our fault her bloody brother stuck his nose in where it didn't belong or that somebody sent him a tip with your location."

"Yeah?" Sirius shot back. "And where did this little tip come from, anyway? Very coincidental, isn't it, that Emmeline's brother knew what he did when nobody else is supposed to know. What happened, Remus? Did you get worried that once my name was cleared you'd have to give up Harry?"

"What?" Remus said loudly. "You think I tipped Michael off? Are you mental? If I had been the one to give up your location, then why the _hell_ was I arrested as well?"

"How should I know?" Sirius retorted just as loudly. "You're the one acting—"

Remus never did find out the end of that sentence. While they shouted at one another, neither wizard noticed the door at the top of the stairs opening. And it seemed the volume of their voices had once again set off the portraits of Sirius' family in the upstairs hall. Sirius' anger turned towards a small grayish creature standing in the doorframe wearing only a loincloth, and while he dealt with his mother's old house-elf, Remus decided it would be best that he left; obviously neither he nor Sirius was quite in the mood to be pleasant company. He followed Sirius' footsteps up the stairs, but instead of chasing the house-elf past Sirius' mother's screaming portrait, Remus pulled the door open, slammed it behind him, and Apparated home.

* * *

Inside the cupboard under the stairs of Number Four, Privet Drive, Harry Potter was curled up on his small cot, clutching the tatty blanket he'd been using since he came here as a baby, crying silently into his pillow. Returning here after the last several months of being in the company of people who truly loved him had been worse than all the years spent with the Dursleys put together. He couldn't understand _why_ he'd come back here; Remus and Emmeline had told him he'd never go back to his relatives, that they would take care of him. Didn't they want him anymore? For the first time in his life he'd felt as though he'd had parents, people who would have done everything for him, but he hadn't seen or heard from either of them in over a week.

He kept replaying the morning he'd been taken from his family—his _true_ family, not the Dursleys—in his mind: Remus being led away by those men; Emmeline's anger at her brother; the visit with Dumbledore; the return to London only to find people waiting for them, people who had practically yanked Harry out of Emmeline's arms. He remembered her telling him she loved him, and she and Remus would figure something out, but he didn't know what that something was. In his mind, Remus and Emmeline could do anything, could fix any wrong, so why hadn't they fixed this one yet? Maybe they decided he wasn't worth it after all. Or maybe it had all just been a dream, something he'd made up in his head.

Harry would give anything to go back to that life, to see Remus and Emmeline smile and laugh, to see Bruce the turtle do one of his tricks, to play with Ron and Snuffles... The boy cried into his pillow until he finally fell asleep, not knowing that the two people he wanted most were also losing sleep as they tried to find a way to get him back.

* * *

On the morning following the full moon, Remus remained conscious just long enough after his transformation back to human to pull a blanket over his body. Most mornings, he was able to push himself upright and at least make it to his own bed before passing out again, but whether it was exhaustion and stress, or just his way of giving up, he didn't bother worrying about it. He didn't regain consciousness again until he felt the vibration of footsteps.

He tried to open his eyes, just to see who was here, but his eyelids refused to cooperate. It wasn't until he heard a soft sigh very near him that he managed to look around. Kneeling beside him, looking concerned for him, was Emmeline Vance. Her lips twitched as she tried to smile when he managed to open his eyes fully.

"Hey, you," she whispered.

"Hello," he croaked. "What're you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why is it whenever I show up unexpectedly, you never seem pleased to see me?"

He choked out a laugh. "Sorry," he coughed. When he continued to cough, Emmeline immediately reached over to turn him on his side, helping him take a sip of water. It suddenly occurred to Remus that the only thing he was wearing was his blanket. His coughing fit passed and he tried to discreetly adjust the blanket to ensure he was fully covered. "I am pleased to see you. I'm just..."

"I know," she said when he trailed off, unable to describe his current condition. "It's all right. I do apologize for coming by unannounced, but when my third owl returned with my third letter inquiring how you were feeling today, I got worried and decided a visit was in order."

Remus' brow furrowed. "But moonset was only a little while ago..."

Emmeline shook her head. "Remus, it's nearly dinnertime," she told him gently. "Apparently you've been asleep all day."

"Oh," he replied, unable to recall the last time he'd spent the entire day post-transformation asleep on the basement floor. "Right."

"Can you make it upstairs on your own?" Emmeline asked matter-of-factly, getting to her feet again. "I thought I might make you a bite to eat while you got cleaned up a bit."

"That's really not necessary," Remus tried to insist, wrapping the blanket around his middle as he got to his own feet. He looked down and winced at the dried blood covering his entire right side. Emmeline must have noticed it—her eyes darted everywhere but at the injury itself—but luckily she didn't call attention to it. "Then again, perhaps I could do with something to eat."

"Good," Emmeline said, leading the way up the stairs. "Take your shower and I'll see you shortly."

As he dried himself off after his shower, Remus mused that only a year ago, the thought of Emmeline seeing him at his weakest, seeing him immediately following a transformation, would have sent him into a panic. The only people who had ever seen him at his worst were his fellow Marauders, and there'd been times he hadn't even wanted _them_ to see him. Obviously something between himself and Emmeline had shifted—they'd gotten more comfortable around one another than they'd ever been—and he couldn't quite put a finger on what that shift had been.

Whatever it was, he thought as he buckled his jeans, he certainly wasn't going to complain about it...

He entered the kitchen, smiling at the scents that filled his nostrils. It may have been dinnertime, but Emmeline had decided to make breakfast. His smile widened when he spotted Emmeline standing at his stove looking as though this were an everyday occurrence. He opened his mouth to tell her how wonderful her meal smelled, but his eyes landed on another person in the kitchen, also acting as though being here was nothing out of the ordinary.

Remus stopped dead in his tracks, all humor forgotten, staring at Sirius, who was leaned back in a kitchen chair, his legs crossed over the back of another chair. "What the hell is he doing here?" he asked sharply.

Emmeline glanced over her shoulder at him, seemingly completely unsurprised at his reaction. "I brought him here," she told him, turning back to flip the bacon. "It's been nearly two weeks, and nothing's been done to fix our little mess."

"And you don't think it's just a little dangerous bringing Sirius Black, Azkaban escapee extraordinaire out into public?" Remus replied incredulously.

Sirius snorted. "Got a nice ring to it, that," he muttered, raising a hand in apology when Remus glared at him.

"How thick do you think I am?" Emmeline asked, filling three plates with food. "We're safe, no one knows we're here, no one knows Sirius is even in contact with us right now."

"How can you be sure?" Remus demanded. "We thought we were safe before, didn't we? Then with a blink of an eye, everything's gone and we're right back where we were before."

A vague expression of hurt passed over Emmeline's face and Remus regretted his choice of words; she didn't give him a chance to apologize, however. "We're safer now than we ever were in London," she assured him, gesturing for him to sit at the table and eat. Remus sat and began buttering his toast.

"Now, I don't know what happened between the two of you last week," Emmeline said briskly, cutting up her pancakes, "and really, I don't give a damn. All I know is that we're in this together, whether we like it or not. I get that there are some unresolved issues between the two of you, but sort it out later. Harry is our number one priority, followed rather closely by finding Peter." Before either wizard could speak a word, Emmeline reached inside her robes, removing a stack of letters. She hesitated a moment, then placed them in the middle of the table. "These are the letters Michael received, the ones that tipped him off about Sirius. The others contain information about Remus and Harry and myself."

"You didn't kill your brother to get these, did you, Em?" Sirius asked anxiously, looking between the letters and the witch.

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "Tempted though I was..." she said dryly. "We had a few words, I explained several things to him, and eventually, his big brother instincts overcame his Auror persona." She paused. "I don't know how much he actually believes, but I think he trusts me enough to take my word. For now."

"And when he decides you're mental?" Remus asked slowly.

"Cross that bridge when we come to it," Emmeline said lightly, gesturing at the letters. "The handwriting looks familiar, but I can't quite place it."

With a dart of his eyes towards Sirius, Remus hesitantly reached for the top letter on the stack. It only took a glance at the writing on the envelope that spelt out Michael Vance's name and directive at the Ministry for Remus to recognize Peter Pettigrew's handwriting. How much time had he spent at Hogwarts looking over the other boy's essays, crossing out sentence and helping him rewrite entire paragraphs so he got a decent mark? "It's Peter," Remus said heavily. Like the other two, he'd had a suspicion of the identity of Michael's anonymous letter writer since they learned about it, but it felt as though another heavy load had been dropped on them. Peter wasn't as dull-witted or inept as they had let themselves believe over the duration of their friendship.

And much as Remus would have preferred to give Sirius and Emmeline a better response, something to buoy their confidence that they could still take full control of the situation and easily solve their problems, he knew there was only one thing he could say.

"This doesn't change anything," he said quietly, ignoring the angry mutters from Sirius and the grim but determined look on Emmeline's face. "We all knew who sent Michael those letters. Our priorities are still the same: we need to find Peter, clear Sirius' name, and get Harry away from the Dursleys."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Sirius said dryly.

Remus sighed, exchanging a glance with Emmeline. "I have no idea..."

"I've got a few ideas," Emmeline began mysteriously, "but you both need to be patient and trust me."

"Of course I trust you," Remus told her quietly.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, sure... What have we got to lose?" he said heavily. "Where do we start?"

Emmeline sighed. "I think first we need to acknowledge that the three of us are essentially on our own. Dumbledore is in enough hot water with the Ministry right now as it is and if he's seen helping us in any way, his position at Hogwarts could be compromised and that's the last thing any of us need." The wizards nodded their agreement. "Having said that, I have no doubt in my mind he'll find ways to lend his assistance without the Ministry's knowledge."

Remus looked at the expression on the witch's face—it was a combination of mischievousness and something Remus had never seen from her—and he knew she'd been planning this for quite a while.

"Mad-Eye is in the same boat, even if the Ministry doesn't know to what extent he was involved in all of this. I have to toe the line at work until further notice, but at least I'll be able to stay close to Mad-Eye and my brother, not to mention I'll be able to keep an ear out on what's going on with the search for Sirius."

"Emmeline, maybe you ought to let Sirius and I work on searching for Peter," Remus said quietly. "You shouldn't jeopardize your career—"

Sirius winced. "Wrong choice of words, Moony," he said, shaking his head.

Emmeline glared at both of them. "You don't get to tell me what I ought to do," she told Remus. "I've told you both we're in this together and if losing my job at the Ministry means clearing Sirius' name and getting Harry back where he belongs, then so be it. This is more important. I'm sick of people trying to dictate how I live my life and I'm ready to take control. If you want out, Remus, by all means, tell us now and we'll leave you be."

Remus stared at Emmeline in shock. He had no response. He wasn't certain how Emmeline had come to the conclusion that he didn't want to be involved with this, but he got the feeling she wasn't speaking only about the current state of affairs involving Sirius, Peter, and Harry. Of course, for him to decide something was okay for him to handle, but not for her certainly wasn't his place. Emmeline was fully capable of deciding things for herself. It hadn't been lost on him that she hadn't made the decision to give up on him after all these years...

_Probably means I shouldn't challenge her ability to handle anything,_ he thought wryly before meeting Emmeline's glare. "That's not what I want," he told her. "Sorry."

She nodded slightly, a blush on her cheeks. "Good," she said quietly, glancing at her watch. She cursed as she stood up. "I've got a couple errands to run. I trust the two of you can play nicely for a while, can't you?"

Both wizards opened their mouths to respond, but Emmeline was already headed out the backdoor and preparing to Apparate.

"She's making me mental, Sirius," Remus muttered as he watched the witch disappear.

Sirius snorted a laugh. "She's been doing that since we were fifteen, mate."

Nodding his agreement, Remus stood and began cleaning up the breakfast dishes, unsure what to say to Sirius now that Emmeline had gone considering their last conversation. Neither he nor Sirius had been very good at apologizing to one another throughout their friendship—Remus had rarely done much that really garnered an apology; Sirius rarely admitted anything he'd done was actually wrong.

He turned around to find Sirius looking rather awkward and decided neither of them needed to discuss their problems right now. "How are you getting back to London?" he asked quietly, leaning against the counter.

"I can Apparate directly into the basement," Sirius replied. "Dumbledore might have put a Fidelius Charm over the old place, but he still managed to leave a few openings."

Remus' brow furrowed. "If he left holes," he began slowly, "what keeps anyone else from just popping in unexpectedly?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Because it's still underneath the Fidelius Charm..." he said rather patronizingly.

The werewolf rolled his eyes. "Right, sorry," he muttered. "Full moon grogginess, I guess."

"Emmeline said you had a few nasty cuts," Sirius said, looking Remus over critically.

"Nothing I couldn't heal on my own," Remus said stiffly. "Though I am still rather tired, so..."

Sirius nodded. "Right, of course," he said, standing. "I suppose I'll see you, then. Rest well, Moony."

"See you, Sirius," Remus muttered as his old friend followed Emmeline's path to the backyard to Apparate back to London. Once Sirius disappeared, Remus turned and headed to his bedroom where his sleep would be interrupted by dreams about Emmeline and Sirius and Harry, none of which would actually make any sense to him.

* * *

Three days following the full moon and the meeting between herself, Remus, and Sirius, Emmeline sat on the floor of her living room surrounded by books. The wireless played softly in the corner while a fire burned in the fireplace, and the bottle of wine she'd opened hours ago slowly drained. Directly in front of her was a notebook filled with information she'd found in her research, some of which applied directly to the current situation and others that applied only peripherally. It had been unanimously, if grudgingly, agreed upon that even after they found Peter and turned him over to Ministry custody, thus clearing Sirius' name of any wrongdoing, the issue of what would happen to Harry would still remain prevalent and unresolved.

Sirius could argue all day and all night that he was Harry Potter's godfather, that he was the only person who could rightfully decide where the boy would reside. And he'd be right. Emmeline doubted even the Ministry would argue that in the end. What they could and would argue, however, and just as rightfully as Sirius, was that any person who had spent five years surrounded by dementors and madness was in no fit state to raise a child. They, too, would be right; though every time Emmeline saw Sirius he seemed to be improving, his temper was still short, he still had trouble sometimes remembering he was no longer in Azkaban, and seemed to be compensating for whatever nightmares he was still suffering with firewhiskey.

Emmeline had managed to get hold of one of Remus' books that he'd left in the flat in London, one that covered wizarding laws regarding orphaned children and she thought she might have a solution to the problem should the Ministry try to argue Sirius wasn't fit to raise Harry. Of course, it would require Sirius' permission and cooperation—she would have to catch him when he wasn't feeling especially stubborn and argumentative. Though while this would solve _one_ problem, there was still the matter of werewolves and children sharing a home. Naturally, there were a few loopholes in that law as well, hidden though they were, since the Ministry obviously didn't believe anybody would _want_ to find those loopholes, let alone _use_ them...

Sighing heavily and reaching for her glass of wine, Emmeline looked up at fireplace mantle where a line of framed photos sat. One was of herself and Remus at some Christmas party the Potters had held before their deaths. They'd both had a fair bit of eggnog that night and when James had pointed out the mistletoe just above where they were stood, Remus had happily wrapped his arms around the witch's shoulders and placed a kiss on her temple while Lily took the photo. It was one of Emmeline's favorites. The one beside it was the one Remus had given her last Christmas of herself and Harry, and the last in the line was of her and Sirius taken probably around fifth or sixth year. Her eyes lingered on the one of her and Remus as she fought to push down her frustration with him. There had been times when it seemed as though they'd been on the brink of finally becoming more than friends—they'd slid over that thin line in London a few times, especially when they'd made the decision to share a bedroom to avoid suspicion from Michael—but the rest of the time, he seemed content to leave things the way they were. She could only hope that when they finally resolved this mess he'd be less preoccupied and would be able to see what was right in front of him.

She jumped several inches off the floor, nearly throwing her wine all over her notes and books when somebody rang the doorbell. Automatically, she glanced up at the clock on the wall, her brow furrowing deeply in confusion: it was going on eleven o'clock in the night; who would be visiting her at this late hour? Nerves on edge, she set aside her wine glass in exchange for her wand as she stood up and headed towards the hallway, only now noticing there was a thunderstorm raging outside.

"Who's there?" Emmeline called towards the door, peeking through a curtained window. Her eyebrows rose when she spotted Remus standing on her dark patio looking like a wet dog. Smirking a little at herself, she stood in front of the door and waited for his response.

"Remus," he called out hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the clapping thunder. He continued with a security answer without being prompted, "Though you've tried desperately to pretend you don't have a middle name, even to the point that you've charmed all of your official documents to hide said given name, it's recently been discovered by myself that your middle name is Griselda—" He broke off suddenly as she yanked open the door in order to fix him with a glare; instead of being intimidated, Remus grinned widely.

"How the bloody hell did you find that out?" she demanded.

His grin widened. "You should really be careful what you write in letters," he told her. "I found a stack in my basement earlier that you sent Lily; it's a good code name, I suppose, since the rest of us never knew... I assume you charmed the letters to hide the real message, since all I was able to read was useless information relating to the Department of Magical Transportation."

She raised an eyebrow. "And how did you manage to acquire a stack of letters I wrote Lily?" she asked suspiciously.

His grin faltered. "It was the in the boxes you and I managed to save after they were killed," he said quietly.

Feeling herself deflate, Emmeline averted her eyes and changed the subject. "What're you doing here so late?" she asked quietly.

Now Remus' amusement at teasing her had gone completely, replaced by an expression Emmeline hadn't seen him wear since they were seventeen and he was once again trying to ask her to go with him to Hogsmeade. It was rather disconcerting to see his mood change so quickly. "Erm," he said, his eyes darting all around the patio and inside the house, anything to avoid looking at her right then. "I hope I didn't wake you..." She started to tell him she was wide awake, but he continued before she could open her mouth. "I'm sorry, it is very late, and I shouldn't have come here. It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow..."

She smothered a laugh as he turned and started back down the stairs. "Remus, wait," she said, reaching out to grab the sleeve of his cloak to get him to stop. He turned and gazed at her rather nervously. "It's fine, really. I'm wide awake. Come in, dry off."

He gave her a shy smile that made her stomach somersault before entering the house. She closed the door behind him and turned to find him performing drying charms on his cloak and the clothing underneath it. "Thanks," he told her quietly when she took his cloak to hang up.

"Don't mention it," she replied. "Go have a seat in the living room, I'll get you a glass of wine."

When she returned from the kitchen with a clean glass, she found Remus looking at the photos on her mantle with a wistful expression. He turned when he heard her approach. "What's all this?" he asked, gesturing at the books and notebook on the floor.

"Research," she replied, reaching down for the wine bottle she'd been drinking from. Handing him the glass and refilling her own, she went on. "It's occurred to me we seem to be getting ahead of ourselves by assuming once Sirius' name is cleared, it will automatically mean we get Harry back."

Remus nodded his agreement as she sat in the armchair. "That had occurred to me as well," he admitted wryly. "Though I have to admit I'd hoped it might work itself out..."

"Things like this don't just _work themselves out_, Remus," Emmeline told him. "You've got to take control if you want certain things."

Remus was nodding slowly, staring into his wine. "Funny you should say that, actually," he said quietly, still avoiding looking at her as he ran a finger around the rim of his glass. "I've been thinking the same thing recently..."

"Really?" she asked, sitting on the sofa. She had a feeling Remus hadn't come over to discuss what they were going to do regarding Harry.

He nodded again, sighing heavily as he finally looked up to meet her eyes for the first time since his arrival. Her heart seemed to skip several beats at the intensity of the softness and sincerity she saw in them, and she felt herself holding her breath so she didn't miss anything he said next. "I, er, have been sitting around for hours trying to figure out how to say something to you, something that I should have said years ago, but never quite got up the nerve to say..."

"Oh?" she squeaked.

Setting aside his glass, Remus leaned towards her, resting his elbows on his knees. She thought he might reach for her hands, but he changed his mind at the last minute. "Yes," he practically whispered. "Emmeline, I—"

His next words were interrupted by a buzzing noise coming from the fireplace. Emmeline blinked as the sound registered in her mind and she silently cursed whatever the source was for cutting Remus off so abruptly—couldn't it have had the courtesy to wait another two or three minutes? But then the reason for the noise became apparent and she shot up off the sofa with a curse. Remus watched in confusion as she pushed past him to get at the fireplace where she discovered the photo of herself and Harry casting a soft glow and vibrating across the surface.

"We have to go," she told Remus urgently, reaching for her wand to summon her shoes and cloak.

"Go where?" he asked blankly, standing and summoning his own cloak.

"Privet Drive," she told him hastily. "Someone's crossed the wards; Harry's in danger."

* * *

**AN:** How's that for a cliffhanger? Please review.


	16. Sixteen

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Sixteen_

Remus appeared in the backyard of Arabella Figg's home in confusion. Emmeline let go of his arm after side-along Apparating them there; she'd been in such a rush to leave her house that she hadn't told him where they were going. Not to mention he'd barely had a second's warning that they'd been about to Apparate, and as a result, he was now doubled over trying his best to catch his breath and not throw up all over Arabella's yard. When he got his stomach under control, he looked up t find Emmeline rushing towards the backdoor.

"Do you plan on telling me what's going on?" he called rather breathlessly.

Emmeline stopped on the stairs and turned to wait for him to catch up. "After the Ministry took Harry, I went to speak to Dumbledore," she said in a rush. "We needed a way to keep an eye on Harry just in case. Since the Ministry believes the only threat to Harry is Sirius, the charms they put in place wouldn't set off any alarms, should somebody else try their hand at getting near him."

Emmeline paused and Remus reached his own conclusion. "Which means anybody else with ill intent towards Harry would be invisible to the Ministry's wards," he said heavily. Emmeline nodded. "And what was Dumbledore's solution?"

"The photographs on my mantle are charmed," Emmeline told him, now continuing to the backdoor. "They're set to alert me if you, Sirius, or Harry are in danger. And don't look at me like that," she chided him when he stared at her in disbelief. "Considering the state in which I found you after the full moon, it's completely justified."

"I wasn't going to say a word," he insisted defensively, inwardly grinning like an idiot at her protectiveness. She glanced over her shoulder skeptically. "So who's crossed the wards?" Again she shot him a glance, this one being the _how-thick-are-you?_ look. He sighed, knowing the answer immediately. "And what would Peter want with Harry?"

Emmeline shook her head, now tapping her wand against Arabella's door to gain entrance. "Does it really matter?" she asked, pushing open the door. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her newfound breaking and entering talents. "Arabella's on holiday," she stepped aside to let Remus into the kitchen. "And I've got permission to be here."

"That's all well and good," Remus told her quietly as he passed her, "but what happens when halfway into this rescue and capture mission the Ministry shows up? Wouldn't it be better if Dumbledore was here as well?"

"I told you, Remus, we're essentially on our own in this," she said slightly sadly. "If the Ministry does show up—which they won't until I've contacted them—and they find Dumbledore here after he's been explicitly told to keep his distance from Harry, he could risk losing his position at the school, not to mention he's the last person we need sent to Azkaban right now."

Remus raised another eyebrow at her. "And you think_ our_ presence will be any more welcome?" he asked.

"Maybe not," she said, "but we're the only ones who can keep Harry safe right now."

And with that, the pair quickly crossed the house and exited the front door, their eyes automatically seeking out Number Four, Privet Drive. Remus gasped when he spotted it: the house was giving off the same soft, pulsing glow that the photo of Emmeline and Harry had done.

"What's it mean?" he asked quietly.

"That whoever crossed the wards—most likely Peter—made it into the house," Emmeline told him grimly. "Come on." She reached for his hand again and tugged, leading the way towards the Dursley home.

* * *

Harry woke very suddenly, his eyes wide open as he stared at the bottom of the stairs in his cupboard. His heart was racing and he felt frightened, though he wasn't sure why. The last time he'd woken like this had been in London when he'd thought there was a monster inside his closet. That night he'd mustered up all his courage and ran into Remus and Emmeline's bedroom where Remus had gotten him a glass of water and described the things floating outside the window as demons.

Through the thin gap of the cupboard door and floor, Harry spotted a beam of light that stopped directly in front of the door. Harry held his breath, pushed himself backwards into the wall, willing whoever was there to go away and leave him alone. A pair of feet stopped in front of the door. Harry's eyes were wide and frightened as the door slowly creaked open. A short, pudgy man appeared, holding a wand with a ball of light at the end of it, pointing it directly at Harry. Harry waited for the man to grab him and yank him off his cot; the man looked around the tiny room carefully, his eyes passing directly over Harry several times, before he huffed in annoyance and withdrew the stick and himself from the cupboard.

Breathing heavily, Harry realized the man had left his cupboard door wide open and that the man was no longer moving around downstairs—he'd gone upstairs to investigate. Harry cautiously entered the hallway, looking around for anybody else who might have come in with the other man. The house seemed empty, and so Harry ran towards to the front door, not knowing what he would do when he got out of the house, but knowing he had to do something. Maybe he could go to Mrs. Figg's house; he'd heard Remus and Emmeline talk about her, so he knew they were friends, and she would believe Harry if he told her someone had broken into the house with a wand.

He nearly cried out in frustration, however, when he found the front door locked magically. Whoever had broken in had gone to great lengths to keep the Dursleys and Harry from escaping. He turned and headed for the backdoor with the same result. As he reached one of the living room windows to attempt his luck that way, he realized how much noise he'd been making: he turned around just in time to see the man's eyes widening in recognition. Harry did the only thing he could think of; hopping down from the window ledge, he charged at the man's knees, hoping to knock him over. Unfortunately, the man's reflexes were quicker. With a flick of the man's wrist, Harry collapsed to the floor unconscious.

* * *

Remus and Emmeline walked briskly up the front walk to the Dursley home. For a moment, Remus thought Emmeline might actually ring the doorbell, but instead she pointed her wand at the door and muttered_, "Alohomora," _before trying to enter. The door hadn't opened, however, causing Emmeline to look quite befuddled.

"What the hell..." she murmured, trying the unlocking spell again with the same results. "That should have worked if the Dursleys had just locked their doors normally."

"But as you've pointed out," Remus said, pointing his own wand at the door to try a spell, "Peter is probably here and therefore is trying to make it so nobody can interrupt whatever it is he's doing." With a silver flash, the door opened without a sound. Emmeline raised an eyebrow at him. "It's a spell James and Sirius discovered in school. Helped us get in and out of restricted areas without being detected."

"Don't even want to know," she muttered, entering the house.

They immediately saw the door to the cupboard under the stairs sitting wide open. Emmeline rushed to it, placing a hand on the cot they knew Harry had slept in since he came to the Dursleys years ago. "It's warm," she told him in a whisper. "He's not been gone long."

Remus nodded, heading into the living room where he found a potted plant had been knocked over, and more disturbingly, a blast mark on the wall beside the window. He swallowed heavily and returned to Emmeline, hoping she didn't see the curse blast; the last thing they needed was for one of them to lose their composure at the thought that Harry was hurt and rush through the rest of the house, thus giving away their element of surprise. He opened his mouth to tell her they should check upstairs, but was cut off by a loud _thump_ just above them.

Eyes wide, Emmeline looked away from the ceiling and gestured for him to lead the way. He did so carefully, casting muffling and disillusionment charms over both of them as they walked up the staircase. Only one light was on in the entire Dursley house, and it was coming from beneath a door at the end of the hallway. Remus could make out murmuring voices, shuffling feet, and sniffling from what sounded like a child. Emmeline heard the last as well; Remus grabbed her arm to keep her from rushing inside. She turned and glared mutinously at him; he rolled his eyes. "We can't just rush in," he told her in a whisper. "Desperate as we are, Peter is even more so, and you and I aren't the only ones with wands. There's no telling what he might do if he feels threatened."

Emmeline nodded resignedly and allowed him to lead her to the door. Very cautiously, Remus pushed the door very slightly in order to get his bearings and see what they were dealing with. From what he could see, Peter was pacing the length of the room, holding his wand on Vernon and Petunia Dursley, the latter of whom held her crying son close to her. There was no immediate sign of Harry.

"What's the plan?" Emmeline breathed.

"Who says I had a plan?" Remus retorted, ignoring the glare she sent him. "I don't see Harry..."

With a wave of her wand, Emmeline used a charm that, to them, made it appear as though the door had vanished, but inside the room it would look as though nothing had changed. "There," she said quietly, pointing at a spot on the other side of the Dursleys' bed. Harry, it seemed, had been dumped quite unceremoniously there, and he wasn't moving. "Remus... Please tell me he's not..."

"He's alive," he assured her quickly as he got a glimpse of the boy's chest rising and falling very slightly. He felt her lean against him in relief, and briefly rested a cheek on her head in comfort—whether it was for her or himself, he wasn't sure. For the time being, he forced himself to concentrate solely on Peter.

Five years living as a pet rat hadn't treated him well. Peter had always been an unassuming being, one whom people had a habit of overlooking. Now, however, people would probably stop on the street as they passed him, wondering if he was ill. He'd lost a good deal of weight over the years as well as hair. His eyes were more watery than ever and he seemed to have taken on some of the characteristics of his Animagus form. Particularly the twitchy ones. His right hand, Remus noticed as his heart seemed to jump into his throat, was curled around a familiar wand, and one of the fingers was missing. Remus had thought he'd accepted Sirius' explanation of events, but seeing the proof standing before him... Anger, bitterness, and resentment filled him, but the feeling of Emmeline's hand on his arm calmed him enough not to start casting Killing Curses into the room.

"What is it you want?" Vernon Dursley asked strongly. "If it's money, take it! The car in the drive is brand new! Just let my family go."

Vernon flinched as the wand in Peter's hand shot off a set of sparks that missed the man by centimeters. "I don't want your money," Peter told him quietly, his voice wavering only very slightly. His eyes darted to the floor at Harry.

"The boy, then!" Vernon said triumphantly. "Take him, he's yours!"

"Like hell he is," Emmeline murmured.

"Contact Mad-Eye and Dumbledore," Remus told her quietly, adjusting the grip on his wand. "Tell them what's happening and get them here immediately."

"And what are you going to do?" Emmeline asked.

Remus met her eyes, smiling slightly. "I believe I promised you I'd get Harry back," he responded. "And I intend to keep that promise."

Emmeline nodded in understanding. "Just be careful," she whispered before moving closer and briefly placing her lips on his. Before he could respond, she'd turned and gone down the stairs.

"Right," he murmured, touching his lips tentatively. "Careful..."

He turned back to the room as Harry began to stir. Peter ceased his pacing and locked his eyes on the boy. Harry groaned, rubbing at his eyes as he did every morning when Emmeline woke him up too early, and started to push himself into a sitting position. Peter's wand was focused on the boy, and Remus decided to make his move before Peter did something to harm Harry further. As cautiously as he could, Remus pushed the door open fully, his eyes darting to Vernon and Petunia on the bed. He placed a finger to his lips again, this time to warm them to remain silent. Vernon had opened his mouth to say something, but Petunia reached over to cover his mouth; apparently their last conversation had assured Petunia that Remus and Emmeline weren't about to hurt her or her family, regardless of how they treated Harry whilst he was in their care.

Remus entered the room, surprised that Peter hadn't noticed a thing, even when Remus stopped directly behind him, pointing his wand at the other wizard's back. Remus waited until Peter had aimed his wand away from Harry before making his move. "Hello, Peter," he said coolly.

If this had been five years ago, Remus would have laughed at the way Peter jumped and squeaked, but at the moment, the werewolf felt only coldness towards the man who had betrayed them.

Then, before Remus could do anything to stop him, Peter cast a curse that caused the house to begin shaking dangerously. Remus was the first to realize what was about to happen, and his only thought as the ceiling and floor began to collapse was to get to Harry. He covered the boy's body with his own, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist as he felt them falling through the floor. As stone and wood fell around them, Remus managed to cover his own head. He vaguely heard others screaming around them. Once everything seemed to calm down a bit, Remus pushed himself off the floor, coughing. He assured himself that Harry was okay, if a little disoriented and frightened.

"Stay here, Harry," Remus whispered to the boy. "I'll be right back."

Harry nodded, wrapping his arms around his knees as he did as told.

Remus jumped to his feet, searching the room for Peter. At first there was no sign of the other wizard and Remus began cursing his carelessness—he should have just stunned Peter before he had the chance to do any harm. Vaguely, he noticed the Dursleys unconscious bodies on the floor where the living room had once stood, but they were far from Remus' first concern at the moment. He spun around suddenly as he heard squeaking of a rat from beneath a pile of rubble. He carefully crossed the room, keeping his mind on his footing to avoid tripping and once again giving away the game. His heart was racing as he approached the source of the noise, but once again his attention was averted, this time as his eyes caught sight of long black hair and a wrist that certainly didn't belong to any of the Dursleys.

"Emmeline," he breathed, temporarily forgetting about Peter as he rushed in the other direction. He used his wand to remove the pile of rock that had buried the witch and felt his knees weaken. Emmeline must have been standing directly below the blast as she contacted Dumbledore and Mad-Eye. Her face was covered in blood, one of her legs twisted in an unnatural position. "Oh god, Emmeline," he whispered, dropping to his knees beside her. "Please... please be okay." He reached out with shaking hands to check for a pulse on her neck. It took him a few moments to realize her heart was still beating due to the unsteadiness of his body. He let out a huge sigh of relief. "It's okay, Em," he told her, leaning over to whisper in her ear almost pleadingly. "You'll be alright. Just... just give me a moment."

Knowing she wasn't going to respond, Remus turned and stood up again, glancing over to where Harry was watching him and Emmeline fearfully. Remus gestured for the boy to come sit beside Emmeline. He did so much more quickly than Remus had expected. Remus again turned to the pile of rubble beneath which he could still hear squeaking.

"No more games, Peter," he said coldly. "Either come out on your own, or I'll get you myself. It's your choice."

The squeaking continued, but the rat made no move to exit from its hiding place. Remus pointed his wand and began to summon the rat.

"Remus! Watch out!" Harry shouted, pointing upwards.

Remus' head snapped up as he spotted Peter still standing in what had once been the Dursleys' bedroom. His eyes darted between the wizard and the squeaking noise in slight confusion. "Handy spell, isn't it, Moony?" Peter said. "I think you came up with it, don't you remember? It made it so we were able to throw our voices off during a prank when we found somebody following us. Still works like a charm." Peter actually giggled at his little joke.

"_Stupefy!_" Remus shouted, pointing his wand at Peter.

The other wizard was just a fraction quicker; he transformed back into his Animagus form and attempted to jump from what was left of the second level of the house out onto the front yard.

"Oh, no you don't," Remus growled, taking off after the rat. As he chased, knowing the wards around the neighborhood wouldn't allow Peter to Disapparate within them, he began casting the spell that would force Peter to return to his human form. He missed the first few times, but on his fourth attempt, the white light connected with the darting body of the rat. Mid-leap into a row of bushes, Peter's body twisted and transformed until the human wizard was falling face first into the dirt and grass with a painful grunt. Remus stopped just short of Peter, kicking out at the wand just outside the reach of the man's fingers to keep him from grabbing it. Without sympathy, Remus slid his foot under Peter and kicked him onto his back, wanting to stare into the eyes of the betrayer as he did this.

"Re-Remus, please!" Peter begged. "I didn't mean to hurt them! I just needed Harry..."

"Wrong excuse, mate," Remus said coldly, his wand slowly getting closer to Peter's chest. "It wasn't bad enough that you sold Lily and James to Voldemort or that you framed Sirius for what you did. It wasn't bad enough that you hid out in a home of seven children or that you broke into the Ministry and stole a wand from Mad-Eye's office. You held hostage an innocent family, no matter how unlikable they may have been. God only knows what you were planning to do with Harry. And you very nearly killed the woman I love. I ought to kill you where you lie, you worthless pile of—"

"I do not believe such drastic action will be required, Remus."

Remus glanced over his shoulder only briefly enough to confirm the identity of the speaker before he turned back to Peter. His wand was shaking slightly in his fingers as though it was ready and willing to cast the curse Remus knew Peter deserved. A hand on his shoulder was the only thing that caused him to lower his wand and step aside so Mad-Eye could see to Peter's arrest. Remus turned to meet Dumbledore's gaze, not even trying to hide the pain and hatred he felt at that moment. Dumbledore returned an understanding gaze. "Go see to Harry and take Miss Vance to St. Mungo's," the Headmaster said quietly, handing him a quill that gave off a bluish glow. Remus quickly pocketed the portkey. "The Ministry is on its way to tend to the Dursleys."

Nodding, Remus started away from the scene without a look back. He knew that if he had looked back, the temptation to execute the Killing Curse against Peter might prove overwhelming. When he stepped into what was left of Number Four, he immediately had to brace himself as a small black-haired boy rushed into his arms, nearly knocking him over backwards. Remus hugged him tightly, standing up with the boy in his arms. "You were very brave, Harry," he told the boy. "You did very well."

"I was scared," Harry said, his voice muffled in his neck. "I tried to run away, but he stopped me."

"It's alright," Remus assured him. "Are you hurt at all?"

Harry pulled back slightly. "My leg hurts from the fall." Remus glanced down and found a large cut on Harry's leg that was bleeding profusely. "Is Emmeline okay?"

Remus looked across the room where Emmeline still lie motionless and sighed. "I don't know, Harry. But we're going to take her to hospital to have her looked at, okay?"

Harry nodded and allowed Remus to place him back on the floor again. It took a few minutes for Remus to remove the debris covering her; once satisfied, he stabilized Emmeline's obviously broken leg and pulled her into his arms, cradling her to his chest as he pulled out the portkey and motioned for Harry to join them again. "Put a finger on the quill, Harry," Remus instructed quietly. The moment Harry's finger touched the feather, the three of them disappeared in a whirl of light and sound before reappearing in the bright lobby of St. Mungo's hospital.

* * *

As dawn approached, Auror Michael Vance walked briskly through the hallways of St. Mungo's Hospital, hardly stopping to get directions of his destination. Half an hour before, he'd received word from Alastor Moody that his younger sister and Remus Lupin had gone to Harry Potter's residence in search of Peter Pettigrew. They'd found him and eventually captured him, but Emmeline had been injured when a house had collapsed. Moody hadn't known the status of Emmeline's condition at that time, though he assured Michael that Lupin would do everything in his power to ensure Emmeline lived and recovered from her injuries. He reached his sister's room and pushed open the door, finding Lupin sat in a chair between two beds, one holding young Harry Potter and the other his sister. All three seemed to be asleep, and considering what they'd through that night, Michael considered quickly checking in on his sister and leaving them in peace.

The moment he let the door close softly behind him, however, Lupin's head shot up and turned towards him, his brow furrowing in confusion and possibly anger.

"Lupin," Michael said, nodding a hello to the younger wizard.

"Michael," Remus returned, his expression guarded.

Michael's eyes darted towards Emmeline's sleeping form. "How is she?"

Lupin sighed. "Her injuries have been healed," he said quietly, standing and releasing the hold he'd had on Emmeline's hand. "They're keeping her unconscious while the Skele-gro does its magic, as it were, but she should recover just fine."

"And the boy?"

"He suffered a deep cut on his leg, but he's fine," Lupin reported. "Mostly I think he was frightened by the whole thing."

"I can imagine," Michael said gently, smiling at the small boy. He turned back to Lupin and met his gaze for the first time since his arrival. "I believe I owe you quite the apology, Lupin."

Lupin stiffened. "There's no need," he said curtly. "Your reaction was quite understandable. I know you're quite protective of Emmeline—"

"Nonetheless, the way I behaved was uncalled for and when we spoke, Emmeline gave me quite the tongue lashing," Michael said wryly. "My ears are still ringing, and I'm uncertain whether that's more to do with her screaming at me or the cuff about the head she gave me." Lupin smirked slightly. "Either way, she only had the best things to say of you, and my jumping to conclusions about the reason you kept her in your company was utterly out of line. I apologize, Lupin."

"Accepted," Lupin replied stiffly. "And for the record, the reason I keep Emmeline in my company is because I care for her a great deal. She's been an amazing friend to me over the years and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. I—"

"Love her," Michael finished for him quietly, smiling. Lupin's brow furrowed again. "Yes, I've rather gotten that impression, and given the way she spoke of you, I'd say the feeling is more than reciprocated." Lupin's eyebrows shot up. "Just do yourself a favor, Lupin."

"What's that?" Lupin asked suspiciously.

"Take care of my sister," Michael said. "Keep her happy. Should you break her heart or harm her in any way, I assure you I will be the first person to find you and make you pay."

Lupin grinned a little. "Should I harm her in anyway, I would gladly welcome any form of torture."

Michael nodded. "Good man," he said, glancing once more at his sister. "I must be returning to my family in America. Please give Emmeline my regards and apologies for all the things I've done."

Lupin nodded and hesitantly reached out a hand to shake Michael's. "I'll take care of her, if she'll give me the chance," he assured the Auror.

"I've no doubt in the world that she will give you that chance." Michael began to turn away. "Take care, Lupin."

* * *

Remus stared at Michael Vance's retreating form in slight confusion, wondering if perhaps this was some odd dream. When he turned back to Harry and Emmeline, however, he realized that most unfortunately he was wide awake in reality, possibly living a nightmare. As he retook his seat between Emmeline and Harry, Emmeline's eyes fluttered open. His heart jumped somewhere into his throat, not only due to her eyes landing on him immediately, but due to another, slightly more troubling thought.

"How long have you been awake?" he demanded with narrowed eyes.

She grinned groggily and tried to sit up in her bed. Remus quickly stood to help her. "Long enough," she murmured. "Can't blame me for eavesdropping, though; never heard my brother apologize for anything before."

Remus sat down again feeling just as anxious as he had last night when he'd shown up on her doorstep. "I don't suppose you managed to not hear the rest of the conversation."

Emmeline waited for him to look at her again before answering. "No, I heard the rest as well," she said softly. She took a deep breath and continued hesitantly, "Is that what you wanted to tell me last night?"

He nodded, feeling quite wrong-footed; he was supposed to have told her all this himself. She wasn't supposed to overhear it like that... "Yes," he said hoarsely, unable to meet her eyes. "That and so much more."

"Well," she said, sounding quite shy, "you can tell me now..."

He met her gaze again, knowing it was now or never. They'd both waited long enough. He leaned forward, hesitantly placing his hands on hers and tried to remember what it was, exactly, he wanted to tell her last night. After a moment of watching her watch him expectantly, he sighed heavily, shaking his head. "I don't think I can."

Her eyes narrowed on him. "What do you mean you don't think you can?" she whispered incredulously. "You just told Michael—"

Before she could continue, Remus covered her lips with his and kissed her in the way he'd wanted to since they were teenagers. She gasped in surprise briefly before reaching up to tangle her fingers in his hair and returning the kiss. For several moments, they were lost in each other, Remus trying to tell her things in his kiss that he should have told her years ago, begging her to give him this one last chance to prove himself worthy.

And just before somebody cleared their throat to announce their presence, he was pretty certain she'd assured him he had that one last chance and he damn well better not waste it this time. The pair broke apart in surprise, their lips swollen, their hair mussed, and their breathing rather irregular, and looked over to find Mad-Eye leaning against the wall.

"Don't suppose you've ever learned how to knock, have you, Alastor?" Emmeline asked crossly, shakily reaching to her bedside table for the glass of water sitting there. Remus helped her steady the glass to avoid spilling it all over herself.

"I did," Moody grunted. "The pair of you was too busy to hear. Don't suppose you ever actually _listen_ to what I've told you about constant vigilance, have you?"

"We're in a bloody hospital," Emmeline grumbled, meeting Remus' eyes with sparkling ones of her own.

"What can we help you with, Alastor?" Remus asked politely, his fingers wrapping around Emmeline's hand completely of their own accord.

Mad-Eye's magical eye glanced at Harry. "He asleep?" he asked.

"Yes, but if it'll make you feel better..." Remus quickly cast a privacy spell around Harry's bed to keep him from hearing whatever it was Mad-Eye wanted to discuss.

"Thought the pair of you'd like to know Pettigrew is currently sitting in the Ministry holding cells awaiting trial," Mad-Eye told them. "It took Dumbledore two hours arguing with the Ministry and several identity charms for them to admit it was actually Pettigrew, but there you have it."

Remus nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "And Sirius?"

"Dumbledore's gone to speak with him. With Pettigrew in custody, it's only a matter of time before he's declared innocent of all charges."

"Thank god," Emmeline sighed, her head falling back onto her pillow.

"Don't get too excited," Mad-Eye warned. "There's still the matter of the two of you showing up on Privet Drive after being explicitly told by the Ministry to stay away from the boy. Not to mention the mess that is currently the Dursleys' house and all the Muggle witnesses who had to be Obliviated."

"And if we hadn't been there, Peter would have killed Harry!" Remus argued.

"No need to shout, Lupin," Mad-Eye growled. "Dumbledore will sort it all out, just be prepared if the Ministry comes calling for your statements."

Remus and Emmeline nodded. "What's going to happen with Harry now? The Ministry can't really expect him to go back to his relatives again," Emmeline said.

"He's your responsibility for the time being, Vance," Mad-Eye told her. "More permanent arrangements will be made in the coming days, but there you have it."

The look on Emmeline's face was one of bliss. It only lasted a moment or two before her brow furrowed and her eyes darted at Remus. "Will they still be enforcing their ridiculous decision to keep Remus away from him?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not exactly a priority right now," Mad-Eye said gruffly. "Just keep it quiet for the time being; the Ministry'll pull its head out of its arse, especially in light of what the two of you did tonight. You're right heroes."

"Which," Remus said, his lips twitching, "I'm certain you're about to tell us, is utterly counterproductive to being constantly vigilant."

Mad-Eye grunted something in the affirmative. "You two get some rest," he growled. "You deserve it."

Remus and Emmeline bade Mad-Eye their farewells, and once the door shut softly behind the Auror, they turned back to one another. "Well," Emmeline said quietly, smiling, "this has been a very eventful night."

Remus snorted a laugh. "Indeed it has," he agreed. He reached over and pushed a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes back behind her ear. "Mad-Eye's right: we should get some rest..."

Emmeline's response was a large yawn, punctuated by a chuckle at the grin on his face. "Probably," she admitted. Her eyebrows rose when Remus stood from his chair. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Thought I might," he said reluctantly. "Not much room in here for me to stretch out... What're you doing?"

Emmeline had reached over to the bedside table for her wand, waving it over the bed she was lying in to widen it. "I don't want you to go," she said quietly when he only looked at her surprise when he finally realized what she was doing.

Remus nodded his understanding and silently went about taking off his shoes. He knew the last thing he wanted right now, after everything that had happened to night, was to be parted from Emmeline and Harry. For what remained of the night, they could pretend they weren't in a hospital room at St. Mungo's, but back in the London flat. Rather awkwardly, Remus climbed into Emmeline's hospital bed and curled up right behind her, resting his head just above hers on the pillow. He was right on the verge of falling asleep when she spoke.

"And in case you were wondering," Emmeline said in a soft whisper, "I love you too."

He was certain the grin on his face would cause him great embarrassment if Emmeline turned to look right then, but she seemed quite content to remain exactly where she was for now. Remus placed his lips against her temple. "Well, that's good to know," he murmured, "otherwise this whole thing would have been painfully humiliating."

They shared a chuckle and before he knew it, they were both fast asleep.

* * *

**AN:** So everyone is safe and happy for the time being. Not sure how many more chapters there are going to be, two or three at the most. In the meantime, please review!


	17. Seventeen

**_Torn_**

By Neurotica

_Seventeen_

About a week following the incident on Privet Drive, Remus Lupin and Emmeline Vance awoke early in the morning after a night of very restless sleep. For the most part, they'd spent the night side-by-side staring at the ceiling, each of them lost in their thoughts. Neither of them had been able to voice their concerns to the other, mostly due to the fear that if they had, they'd be forced to hear the doubt in the other's voice that the day would go exactly according to plan. Too much could go wrong, they knew, too much hung in the balance, all of which rested on the shoulders of the Wizengamot, who were all set in their beliefs that Sirius Black was a mad-mass murderer and Peter Pettigrew had been a victim of Black's murderous rampage. Regardless of Dumbledore's assurances that everything would, eventually, work themselves out, Remus' biggest fear, the one he couldn't seem to rid himself of no matter what, was the thought that the moment Dumbledore walked into the courtroom with Sirius at his side, the dementors would swoop down on them, either Kissing Sirius on the spot or dragging him back to Azkaban.

Unable to remain still any longer, Remus sighed and threw his legs over the side of the bed, glancing over his shoulder at where Emmeline had turned her head to watch him. "Breakfast?" he said hoarsely.

"Might as well," she returned with her own sigh.

Bleary-eyed and desperate for a cup of very strong coffee, the couple made their way to the kitchen where Remus started on breakfast and Emmeline made coffee. In order to avert his mind from the coming day's events, Remus thought about the past week. He probably shouldn't have been surprised at how easily Emmeline seemed to find living with him in his home. After all, they'd lived together in London for more than six months, had been sharing a room nearly as long, and that had been easier than Remus had ever believed it could possibly be. He didn't know whether it would last; regardless of the fact they both wanted it to, there was still the issue of whether the Ministry would _allow_ it to go on.

After several discussions with both Dumbledore and Sirius, it had been agreed upon that it was in Harry's best interest to grow up with people he knew, trusted, and loved, and who loved him back. Harry didn't know Sirius, had never even met the man that he could recall, and until very recently, Harry had been taught to do everything within his power to escape from Sirius Black should he ever see him. It had taken a lot of arguing, a lot of glaring, and a lot of muttering under Remus' breath about spoiled rich kids thinking they were entitled to everything just because it was in front of them. Sirius had replied something along the lines of, of course he was entitled, he was Harry's godfather, and no one in the world was more entitled than he. After glaring at the pair of them for arguing, again, Emmeline pointed out to Sirius that no matter his entitlement to his godson, there was every possibility in the world that the Ministry, even if they did declare him innocent and Peter guilty, there was no guarantee they would grant him custody of Harry. He'd still spent the last few years in Azkaban with only the company of dementors, and there was no telling, on their part, what that had done to Sirius' sanity.

There were several options in terms of what would happen to Harry. Most of them were far from desirable, a few were more bearable, but only one was the option he knew they'd be able to live with happily. There was only one way to ensure the desired results and so, a few nights before, while Harry slept peacefully and obliviously, Remus, Sirius, and Emmeline had snuck into his bedroom and preformed the charm. It was something only Remus had ever read about and he never thought he'd have cause to cast it, or to see it cast, but he knew their choices were limited. Sirius had admitted to performing the charm once before, when Harry had been just a baby. Lily hadn't been aware of it—she probably would have hexed both Sirius and James if she ever found out about it—but drastic times and all that...

Remus had spent several minutes after Sirius' declaration fuming at the irresponsibility of his two old friends. There were so many things that could have gone wrong with the charm, so many things that the charm could have _caused_ to go wrong. He'd somehow managed to bite back the accusation that performing a custody charm between himself and Harry, binding the two of them together so that if something did happen to Lily and James, Harry would go to the person his parents had chosen, could have helped along the circumstances surrounding the Potters' deaths. It wasn't quite dark magic, though it wasn't quite legal, either. The charm had a way of tweaking situations in order to ensure the parameters set were executed exactly.

It had taken the thought that James must have known he and his wife wouldn't survive the war to subdue his anger. Obviously he'd been hopeful that his son would survive, though he couldn't have possibly known Harry would survive the way he had.

But it didn't matter. The charm had been placed and Sirius was Harry's guardian, both legally and magically. The charm had been the reason the wards around the Dursley home had been broken when Sirius had escaped from Azkaban; the charm had recognized Sirius was once again available and able to be Harry's guardian, and the charm apparently cancelled out everything else, even Lily's sacrifice for her son and Dumbledore's powerful magic.

Remus hadn't wanted to perform the charm again, especially not on the same child, but he knew the Ministry would do whatever it took to make up for their oversights with Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. And _whatever it took_ might even mean sending Harry to a wizarding foster family, or worse, back to the Muggles. The former option might not be so bad, especially if Harry was sent to a family like the Weasleys. But as Emmeline had pointed out, the Ministry had always catered towards the families with the most gold, and as likeable as the Weasley family was, that was most certainly not them. So if Harry was bound to somebody else other than his godfather, someone who had a good reputation in the wizarding world, who had respect, and was from an old family...

That night, Harry had been bound to Emmeline. Not even the Ministry could take the boy away from her, regardless of their past feelings of the people she allowed the boy to be around. What the Ministry could do, however, was ban the people they believed to be a bad influence on Harry from residing in the same house. This was the bit Remus had trouble accepting. It meant this arrangement—Emmeline and Harry and Remus living together in the same home—was about to end. The Ministry wasn't going to let up on their belief that werewolves didn't make ideal guardians, and Remus would soon be relegated to visiting Emmeline's house in London whenever he was able.

And he didn't want it to end, not at all and certainly not like this. The past week had been like something out of a dream. Whenever he'd had the audacity to wonder what a life with Emmeline would be like, he hadn't even imagined it would be this wonderful. Before last fall, Harry hadn't figured into the equation at all, but now he couldn't imagine life without either of them.

_Get a grip, Lupin, _he chided himself, cracking an egg over the frying pan. _Emmeline's not going to suddenly decide she doesn't want you around just because you can't be in the same house anymore, not after how long it's taken her to get you to admit how you fell about her. _

He glanced over his shoulder where Emmeline was opening the window for the _Daily Prophet_ owl, taking the paper, and dropping a few knuts into the leather pouch attached to the bird's foot. The owl hooted briefly, then took off over the trees, and Emmeline turned back to the table, unrolling the paper as she walked.

Yesterday afternoon, Remus had gone to see Dumbledore at Hogwarts in preparation for today's events, and somehow the conversation had taken a decidedly disconcerting turn. Apparently Dumbledore had noticed that Remus and Emmeline had gone past being just friends, and the Headmaster seemed to enjoy watching Remus squirm as he commented on the relationship. As Remus became certain he'd never again be able to meet the old man's eyes squarely, all the embarrassment drained out of him as he recalled something he'd wanted to ask Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had listened patiently as Remus began speaking about the things on his mind. How he didn't want to be separated from Emmeline and Harry, not after everything they'd gone through. How though he wanted nothing more than for them to live happily together—as a family, as far as that was possible—he feared he wasn't fit for that sort of life. And the Ministry seemed to want nothing more than to keep him from it. He'd asked if there was a way—any way—around the Ministry's rules about werewolves residing in the same home as children with whom they shared no blood. Before he'd even finished speaking, Dumbledore was smiling softly at him and he proceeded to explain a way Remus could be with Emmeline and Harry, a way not even the Ministry could legitimately argue.

Remus sighed quietly, flipping the bacon. Dumbledore's suggestion was incredibly enticing, and Remus couldn't think of anything he'd want more. He was even reasonably certain Emmeline wouldn't have any objections either. But he had to keep reminding himself that they'd only been a couple for a week, and it was far too soon for anything like that—

"Remus, I think you're burning the toast," teased a voice from the kitchen table.

Remus turned towards the toaster, cursed softly at the smoke coming from the slots, and quickly vanished the burning bread within. He turned towards Emmeline. "Sorry," he sheepishly told her. "Got lost in my thoughts, I suppose."

Her lips twitched as she stood and crossed the kitchen to him. "Suppose I can forgive it this time," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "So long as you don't burn the bacon."

He chuckled, bending his head to kiss her briefly. "Why don't I leave you to the toast then, since I obviously can't be trusted to prepare it correctly, and I'll finish the eggs and bacon?"

She nodded her agreement and they separated, going about their breakfast duties silently, and Remus managed to push aside his worries for the time being.

It wasn't until breakfast was on the table that Emmeline seemed to recall something they somehow managed to forget. Her hand froze just above her coffee cup, her brow furrowing as she looked up at Remus. "What about Harry?" she asked quietly as he sat across from her. "Are we taking him to the trial with us?"

Remus sighed heavily as his eyes closed and his mind once again chided him, this time for worrying about his future with Emmeline rather than the more immediate concerns. They'd been, he supposed, so preoccupied with thoughts of the trial they'd each assumed the other had made arrangements for Harry.

"If we do," Remus began, "all the focus will shift to Harry rather than Sirius and Peter. And if the focus shifts, it's more likely the Wizengamot will convict Sirius on mere principle that they're being reminded of what he's been accused of. Besides, I don't know how Harry would react to all that attention he would be undoubtedly given; he's only six, Em, he won't understand why people are staring at him."

With a sigh of her own, Emmeline nodded her agreement. They had told Harry what he was to the wizarding world and why. He knew who Lord Voldemort was and what the Dark Lord had done to him and his family. The talk had resulted in nearly a week of nightmares and Harry had taken to climbing into bed with Emmeline and Remus. And every time this happened, Emmeline glared at Remus; she'd been against telling Harry everything he'd been told, telling Remus he was too young and that it would only scare him. Remus had confidently assured her Harry would be fine, and should there be any nightmares, he would deal with them. Somehow, Emmeline managed to refrain from saying "I told you so," but Remus was certain it was becoming a losing battle the more nightmares through which Harry suffered.

"What about the Weasleys?" Emmeline asked, breaking through his musings. "I'm sure Molly won't have a problem watching him for a few hours."

Remus only stared at her for long moments. "Emmeline, the last time we saw the Weasleys, Harry was my nephew Jamie, they had a pet dog who just so happened to be an illegal Animagus and escaped prisoner, and a Death Eater disguised as a rat slept on their son's pillow."

"True though that may be," Emmeline argued, "they deserve to know the what's going on. How fair is it to Harry and Ron that they can't play together because we're too afraid to tell Arthur and Molly the truth."

Remus raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not saying we shouldn't tell them. I just don't think it's wise to do it today of all days. Besides, do you really want to be the person to tell _Molly Weasley_ that she and her family unknowingly harbored not one but _two_ men, especially when those men spent so much time in her children's company, _then_ ask her for a favor?"

The witch cringed. "Good point," she conceded. "Well, we can't exactly leave him here alone."

Remus rolled his eyes as a solution presented itself in his mind. "No," he began slowly, "but no one at the trial can gawk at him if they don't recognize him..."

Emmeline's brow furrowed for a moment before recognition dawned. "Glamour charm," she said, nodding. "Probably should have thought of that myself. You're a genius."

Chuckling, Remus finished off a piece of bacon. "Well, genius or not, we should probably wake Harry up and get some breakfast in him. We have to be at the Ministry in—" He glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall, "—an hour and a half."

"Right," Emmeline said, her tone more subdued than before. "You get him up, work the charm, and I'll make him a plate."

"Deal." He winked at her from across the table, then stood and headed down the hall.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Remus and Emmeline walked hand-in-hand down a short flight of stairs in the Ministry of Magic to level ten and followed the corridor towards courtroom ten. In Remus' other arm was a small brown-haired, blue-eyed boy who was eyeing their surroundings in wary interest. When Remus and Harry had entered the living room, Harry in his new glamour charm, Emmeline couldn't help but wonder if that was what their children might look like should she and Remus ever have any. It took her several minutes to snap out of the daydream enough to realize Remus was talking to her.

Even now, the thought made her smile and she was once again zoning out, this time enough so that she didn't even realize that the corridor had become icy cold until she felt Remus' hand stiffen in hers. "What in the world..." she said quietly, using her free arm to rub the other one. She glanced to her right at Remus, whose jaw had clenched, then at Harry who'd given up looking around in exchange for burying his face in Remus' shoulder and tightening his grip around Remus' neck.

Remus only swallowed heavily, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "It's demons, isn't it?" came a muffled voice from Remus' shoulder.

Both adults looked questioningly at Harry, then at each other. Remus shrugged his free shoulder, then nodded ahead of them. "They're already prepared for a guilty verdict," he told Emmeline quietly.

"Of course they are," she replied in a voice that was stronger than what she really felt. He shot her an incredulous glance. "Because Peter is guilty, and it's only a matter of time before he's being dragged away."

Emmeline tried to avert her eyes from the group of dementors floating at the end of the corridor, relieved to find they'd arrived in courtroom ten before they had to get any closer. The room was surprisingly full, even though the trial didn't start for at least half an hour. Most of the people, she assumed, were members of the wizarding press, the rest were Ministry of Magic employees who'd apparently gotten wind of the trial and stopped by to see what happened. A few of them glanced over at the new arrivals, realized they weren't anyone of importance, and went back to talking amongst themselves. Emmeline was suddenly grateful Remus had come up with the idea of putting Harry under a glamour charm; otherwise she was certain they'd all be crowding around, trying to get a glimpse at Harry.

Remus led her up the stone stairs about halfway and sat down on one of the benches, adjusting Harry in his arms, murmuring against the boy's hair that everything was all right now, they were away from the dementors. It wasn't until Remus pulled his hand away from Emmeline's and started rubbing Harry's back that Harry lifted his head and looked around the room. Emmeline smiled at Remus as the boy started to visibly relax.

In the center of the room stood two identical high-backed chairs about five feet apart, golden chains resting motionlessly across the arms. Emmeline assumed they were for Sirius and Peter; she then wondered if five feet was far enough away to keep Sirius from trying to strangle Peter.

"Oh hell," Remus breathed.

Emmeline looked over at him in question, finding him looking at the doors of the courtroom. "What..." She followed his line of sight and just barely bit back a curse at the sight of Arthur Weasley entering alongside of Alastor Moody. "Is this Mad-Eye's idea of a joke?" she hissed while Remus carefully turned Harry away from the entrance so he didn't see Arthur.

Remus obviously didn't know how to respond to this, so he just sighed and continued to watch the wizards' entrance. Arthur quickly shook hands with a few other Ministry officials and sat down with them. Mad-Eye's magical eye roved around the room, landing rather quickly on Remus, Emmeline, and Harry. The Auror nodded once at them, in what he probably thought was a reassuring manner, then turned away from them.

"I'd've thought he would have brought Peter in," Emmeline murmured quietly to Remus.

"He probably doesn't want to call attention to himself as the person who arrested him," Remus responded with a very small grin. "I believe he gave all the credit to us."

"Wonderful."

It wasn't long before a door on the other side of the room opened and the Wizengamot entered. Dumbledore was missing from the group, but Emmeline knew he was acting as legal counsel for Sirius, and would thus be entering at a later time. Once everyone was seated, the Minister called for quiet and read through a roll of parchment which abbreviated the reasons for them being there today—inquiring into charges that Peter Pettigrew, who until recently had been presumed to be dead, was indeed alive and had held hostage a Muggle family in Little Whinging, Surrey, a family who just so happened to be raising Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. At this, Harry's head had snapped around to meet Remus' in slight question. Remus only shook his head in response; Harry shrugged and went back to coloring in the book Emmeline had brought to keep him occupied. After a brief introduction of the trial's questioners, Minister Bagnold called for the Aurors to bring in the defendant.

As Peter Pettigrew entered the room, flanked on either side by Aurors, two more in front and behind him, Emmeline heard a low growling noise coming from her right. Without looking away from Peter, Emmeline reached over and pressed her hand against Remus' thigh; the growling ceased immediately. The Aurors sat Peter down in the chair closest to the Wizengamot's high benches, waited for the chains to activate and wrap around Peter's arms and legs before stepping back to wait along the walls.

Emmeline took a few moments to scrutinize Peter. If she hadn't known exactly who he was, she probably wouldn't have recognized him on first glance. The Peter she had known all through school had always been on the pudgy side, but he'd lost all that weight now; it hadn't been a healthy weight loss either. More like sudden loss due to stress. His brown hair had also thinned out—in places, it was missing entirely—and his blue eyes that were always slightly watery, but had seemed to always be full of life were dull and terrified.

If she hadn't known exactly who he was and what he'd done to land himself here, she might have felt sorry for him...

Once the murmurings in the courtroom started to die down and eventually cease altogether, the trial began. The questions were basic to begin with (they asked Peter to identify himself for the court; asked him if he knew why he was here—when Peter stuttered and stammered at the latter question, Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, brusquely read the more detailed charges against Peter.) Peter nodded miserably when Bones finished her list, which included magic in front of Muggles, destruction of Muggle property, holding Muggles hostage, attempted kidnapping... By the time Bones had finished, Emmeline had tallied up an approximation of the jail time one would get by committing the misdemeanors listed and smirked to herself that even if the Wizengamot ignored what Peter had done in 1981, the wizard would still face at least fifteen years in Azkaban. And this was before he was outed as an illegal Animagus.

Emmeline was called forward as a key witness to the events in Surrey—Dumbledore told Remus flat out that there was a danger that the Ministry might disregard anything Remus said on principle that he was a werewolf, and there was every possibility that Remus testifying either against Peter or in favor of Sirius might backfire. Remus had taken this better than Emmeline thought he might: instead of arguing or trying to convince Dumbledore his word was as good as anyone's, he'd kept the bitterness at a minimum and only grumbled aloud to her.

"Miss Vance," Minister Bagnold began once Emmeline was seated in a witness chair, "what were you doing at Privet Drive on the night in question?" Emmeline took breath to answer, but the Minister wasn't finished. "Our records show that you were prohibited from coming within a ten mile radius of Harry Potter and his family."

Shooting a brief glance up into the benches where Remus and Harry sat—Remus had placed a Muffling charm around Harry so the boy wouldn't hear any of what was happening; he'd only just gotten over his nightmares about Peter holding him hostage—Emmeline caught Remus' smile of encouragement, and turned back to the Minister. "I was house-sitting for a friend who lives on Wisteria Walk that evening," she reported smoothly. "She was on holiday and asked me to feed her cats. I didn't realize she lived so closely to Harry's family or I wouldn't have agreed. While I was there, one of the cats got out and I had to chase it. That was when I passed Number Four, Privet Drive."

"And what drew you into the house?" asked Amelia Bones, her tone slightly more friendly than Bagnold's.

"I heard a crash from inside the house followed by flashes of light I recognized to be wandfire," Emmeline told her. Her eyes darted to Harry again. "I realize I shouldn't have been there at all, but while I had Harry Potter in my care, I suppose I grew attached to him. I'm sure it's also in your records, Minister, that before their deaths, I was quite close to Lily and James Potter."

Bagnold nodded absently, pursuing another roll of parchment. "Yes, it says here you were named the boy's godmother."

Emmeline nodded. James and Lily had done no such thing, actually; they probably would have had Emmeline been in the country. At the time of naming Harry's godparents, however, she'd been out of the country on assignment for the Order of the Phoenix. The Ministry need not know this, of course, and they'd never find out the truth, especially since Dumbledore had very discreetly changed a few specific documents. "Yes," she said quietly.

"On a brief side note, we will need to see you in the Wizarding Family Services offices soon to discuss Mister Potter's future living arrangements." The Minister was scribbling notes on another scrap of parchment. "Continue, please."

"I went to the front door of the Dursley home and it looked as though it had been forced open." She knew Mad-Eye's report from the evening in question said the exact same thing. "And I wanted to make sure Harry was all right."

"It's also been reported, Miss Vance, that Remus Lupin was present at the Dursley home. Can you confirm this?"

Another glance at Remus; another nod in return. "Yes, he was present," she said. "He's my boyfriend and he came along to my friend's home."

"What next?"

Emmeline hesitated briefly. "Remus and I checked the house for Harry, his relatives, and whoever broke in, and we heard another crash upstairs. When we reached the room from which the noise had originated, we saw Peter Pettigrew standing in front Harry's aunt and uncle and cousin."

"Where was Harry?"

"Unconscious on the floor." For the first time since Peter had entered the courtroom, Emmeline felt her anger rising. The memory of seeing Harry knocked out at Peter's feet, not knowing whether he was alive or dead until Remus happened to catch his small chest rising and falling... She suddenly understood Remus' overwhelming desire to kill Peter when he'd had the chance. Realizing the courtroom was waiting for her to continue, she shook her head slightly, ignoring the whimpers Peter was emitting behind her, and went on. "I went to call the authorities while Remus kept an eye on Peter. Before I was able to reach the fireplace to use the emergency Floo connection the Ministry agreed to make, the floor collapsed and I was knocked out, nearly killed."

Since Emmeline's knowledge of what happened next was only secondhand, she was excused from the stand and returned to sit beside Remus. He immediately reached over and took her hand. "You were brilliant," he whispered.

She smiled her thanks, inwardly hoping they wouldn't throw out her testimony because it involved Remus Lupin, known werewolf.

Mad-Eye was next, confirming what Emmeline had said and informing the Wizengamot that Remus Lupin had apprehended Pettigrew, then had taken Emmeline and Harry to St. Mungo's for treatment. Unsurprisingly, no one questioned the things Mad-Eye told them; Amelia Bones asked for a bit of clarification on a few things, but that was the extent of it. Mad-Eye returned to his seat and the courtroom as a whole turned their attention to Peter Pettigrew. The wizard gulped and attempted to shrink back into his chair.

"Hope they were smart enough to cast anti-transformation spells on those chains," Remus said in a low tone.

"I'm sure Mad-Eye made sure of it," Emmeline responded comfortingly, covertly crossing the fingers on the hand Remus wasn't holding and hoping Mad-Eye _had _made sure of it.

"Mr. Pettigrew," boomed the voice of the Minister of Magic, "until very recently, you were believed to be dead. Would you care to explain how it is you are currently sitting before us?"

Peter swallowed heavily. "No, not really," he squeaked nervously. Remus actually snorted a laugh, briefly drawing several pairs of eyes to where they sat.

Bagnold pursed her lips. "Why were you at Number Four, Privet Drive on the evening of 19 March?" she asked.

"Madam Bagnold," Mad-Eye said, standing when it seemed as though Peter wasn't going to utter another word, "may I suggest a tongue-loosening charm?"

"Alastor, the last time you used that charm, it _literally_ loosened the tongue of the prisoner," Bones said, a slight edge of amusement in her voice. "Even the Healers at St. Mungo's were unable to reattach his tongue..."

Mad-Eye waved this aside. "Hasn't happened in fifteen years, Amelia," he said dismissively. "Besides, Pettigrew seems unlikely to volunteer the information..."

"Won't be necessary," Bagnold said, shooting a glare at both Bones and Mad-Eye. "When he was questioned upon arrest, Albus Dumbledore was able to get him to speak." She turned to her left, snapping her fingers at one of her advisors who was shuffling through parchments frantically.

"Did Dumbledore tell you about this?" Remus asked in a whisper.

Emmeline shook her head dumbly.

The advisor finally found the parchment she was looking for and quickly passed to the Minister who began to read. "Upon Pettigrew's arrival at Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, his intention was to acquire Harry Potter at any cost. Once he retrieved the boy, it is still quite uncertain what he planned to do, but it is believed that he intended to take Harry to Death Eaters in the hope of finding and bringing Lord—" The Minister stopped suddenly, her eyes darting away from the parchment. She cleared her throat before continuing. "—He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named back to power."

The entire courtroom broke out in panicked whispers. Remus was growling again. "That son of a..."

"Bitch," Emmeline finished for him, glaring at Peter and resisting the urge to reach for her wand.

"Order!" Bagnold barked. The room quieted after a few moments. "Mr. Pettigrew, what have you to say for yourself?"

Peter looked around the room, eyeing the Wizengamot nervously. His eyes eventually settled, for some unknown reason, on Remus. "He..." Peter took a nervous gulp. "He made me do it."

For a moment, Emmeline looked from Peter to Remus; Remus looked back nonplussed.

"Who made you do it?" Bones asked in a rather bored-sounding voice.

"Sirius Black."

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm horrible for not posting for... going on five months, apparently. (Had to check to make sure.) But in my defense, I've probably got about five versions of this chapter floating around my computer, none of which I liked very much, and until very recently, didn't even know where I was taking things. (Along with the five versions, there were about twenty different scenarios in my mind.) Anyway, I couldn't resist giving Peter one more attempt at blaming Sirius for everything that's ever happened in the history of ever. Next chapter, part two of the trial, which includes Sirius, then tying up a few loose ends. Then one chapter after that, and the end. So, if you'll be so kind, please review, even if it's just to tell me my updating schedule sucks. Thank you!


	18. Eighteen

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Eighteen_

Sirius Black paced back and forth inside an antechamber inside courtroom ten, his fingers laced behind his head as he walked. Every so often, he shot a glare to the corner of the room where Dumbledore sat, calm as can be, his fingers steepled beneath his chin and his eyes closed.

Early that morning, the Headmaster had come through the fireplace of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, bringing along with him a large breakfast prepared especially by the Hogwarts house-elves. Sirius had tried to eat, but with every bite he took, his throat closed tighter and tighter in nervousness. Before they'd left for the Ministry, Dumbledore had given Sirius a bit of a haircut and clean-up, which included a crisp, new set of robes, and Sirius had to admit he hadn't felt better in years. But new clothes and a shave didn't guarantee anything, least of all whether would ever see the outdoors again after today.

Peter was currently in the courtroom with the Wizengamot, telling them Merlin only knew what. By the time he got out there, for all he knew, the Ministry would be comforting Peter and protecting him from the ever-so-frightening and psychotic Sirius Black. Maybe he'd get lucky and have only _half_ the courtroom start cursing him—they'd want to leave a bit for the dementors, after all.

_Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you, Padfoot? _asked a quiet voice in the back of his mind. It vaguely reminded him of Remus. _The proof is sitting right in front of them, isn't it? How can you be convicted of killing Peter bloody Pettigrew if Peter bloody Pettigrew is so obviously alive? _The last bit sounded like Emmeline rather than Remus.

_And that's another thing,_ he reminded himself. _I have at least two fans in the audience; they won't let anything happen to me if they have anything to do with it. _He cast a glance over his shoulder at Dumbledore. _Neither will he. _

The antechamber door opened, causing Sirius to trip over his own feet in his haste to get against a wall. It was a habit he'd picked up in Azkaban. Every time the door to his cell's hall opened, it meant dementors were on their way, and he desired nothing more than to get as far from them as possible. Before he had the chance to transform into his Animagus form, as was habit, he turned around and found not dementors but Mad-Eye had entered the room. The Auror gave Sirius a cursory nod before addressing Dumbledore.

"Nearly ready for you," Mad-Eye told the Headmaster gruffly. Sirius could almost feel the Auror's magical eyeball staring at him as he forced himself to relax a bit. "They're just finishing up a bit of Pettigrew's questioning."

Dumbledore nodded and stood, his eyes darting very briefly to Sirius. "And how goes it?" he asked briskly, probably for Sirius' benefit. Sirius was thankful; he wasn't sure how he'd manage to answer the Wizengamot's questions when he got out there, let alone how he was supposed to ask Mad-Eye that particular question.

"Well as can be expected," Mad-Eye reported. "Vance gave her account of the night in Surrey—they're planning on calling her back as a character witness for Sirius. Pettigrew's tried claiming Black was responsible for him going to the Dursleys' and trying to kidnap Harry. Doesn't look like most of the Wizengamot believes him, though; I think the whole _but he's supposed to be dead_ thing is counting against him."

"Good," Dumbledore declared, crossing the room and clapping Sirius on the shoulder.

Mad-Eye turned towards Sirius as well. "Just you remember to stick to the facts," he growled. "This is the trial you _should have_ gotten five years ago." The older wizard's craggy face actually softened very slightly. "Don't let yourself get too caught up in emotions—can't remember how many times I had to tell you and Potter that."

Sirius grinned weakly at the comment. "Thanks, Mad-Eye," he croaked.

Mad-Eye nodded once, then glanced at his pocket watch. "That time." He took his wand from his robes and stepped closer to Sirius. "Sorry about this, but protocol and all that..."

Sirius sighed as Mad-Eye conjured shackles for both his arms and legs. The only reason he hadn't been wearing them in the antechamber was because Dumbledore had managed to remove them while they'd waited. Dumbledore walked very slightly behind Sirius, while Mad-Eye walked directly beside him, wand held at his chest. Just before they entered the courtroom, Sirius heard a whisper of _good luck_ from Mad-Eye, and he was able to hold himself a bit higher even as he looked into dozens of faces which held expressions of mingled fear and disgust.

To avoid those dozens, he scanned the benches for the two familiar faces he knew would be there, and heaved a sigh of relief when he spotted Remus and Emmeline looking back. _If I get out of this,_ he found himself thinking desperately at them, _I owe you two my life..._

_And even if I don't, you've got my eternal gratitude for sticking with me for this long, especially after everything I put you through..._

* * *

"Here he comes," Emmeline breathed as she watched the door to an antechamber open. She gripped Remus' fingers so tightly he was certain they were about to break, but couldn't find enough of his voice to ask her to lessen her grip.

Together they watched as Sirius shuffled into the courtroom, Mad-Eye at his side, and was led to his chair. Remus was grimly amused to see Peter look over his shoulder, squeak in fear, and begin to shake so much the chains that tied him to the chair started to rattle. Not that Remus blamed Peter for his reaction; if he'd been faced with Sirius Black and that particular expression that plainly displayed the desperate desire to kill him in the most slow, painful way possible, and knew he deserved it and much more, he'd probably react in much the same way.

He'd been concentrating so closely on Sirius and Peter that Remus barely noticed Dumbledore walking behind Sirius and Mad-Eye. The man seemed to breathe power and confidence, and so much so that Remus felt himself relaxing more than he had in weeks. Dumbledore would see to it that they got out of this, that the true betrayer was punished, and the innocent man was set free. Remus suddenly wished he'd been able to speak with Sirius before the trial; though it was true he hadn't had anything particularly nice to say to his old friend when they were face to face, judging by the expression on Sirius' face, the one that said how thoroughly terrified he was about the outcome of this, Sirius needed a bit of reminding he wasn't alone as he had been for five years.

Sirius' eyes, darting almost desperately around the courtroom, landed on himself and Emmeline. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw Emmeline give Sirius a minute wave with the hand that didn't hold his in a death grip; he swore he saw Sirius smile just a touch. Remus managed a wink and his own small smile when Sirius' gaze settled warily on him. As Mad-Eye sat Sirius down in the open chair beside Peter's, Remus darted his eyes pointedly at where Harry sat, disillusioned and still obliviously coloring in his book. It apparently took a moment for Sirius to figure out who the boy on the floor was and why he'd care. When he realized who it was, Remus spotted a smirk on the other wizard's face, one he was certain no one else in the courtroom was trained enough to notice.

"Sirius Black," Minister Bagnold boomed once the shackles were removed from Sirius' wrists and ankles, exchanged for the chair's chains, "you are here to answer for several crimes including murder of twelve Muggles, consorting with and passing along information to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, escape from Azkaban Prison, theft from the office of a Ministry of Magic Head of Department—"

"What?" Emmeline asked in a whisper, darting a sidelong glance at Remus.

Remus rolled his eyes. "His wand. The one that was in Mad-Eye's office that Peter stole."

Emmeline shook her head in disgust at Peter and turned back to the proceedings.

"—and the murder of one wizard," Bagnold finished off. This last charge was read with less conviction than the others, since the alleged victim of the aforementioned wizard was sitting next to the alleged murderer. "Albus Dumbledore will be acting as legal counsel for the defendant." She nodded stiffly at Dumbledore as he conjured a chair beside Sirius and sat down. "How does your client plead, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore's face was the picture of serenity as he answered calmly, but firmly, "Not guilty to all charges."

Outraged whispers broke out across the courtroom. Bagnold waited for them to die down while making a notation on her parchment. "Plead your case, then," she said coldly, looking at Sirius.

"Here we go," Remus murmured, mostly to himself.

Dumbledore nodded at Sirius, who took a fortifying breath before beginning to speak to the Wizengamot, somehow managing to ignore the whimpers coming from his left. Remus listened closely to every word the wizard spoke: how, though he'd originally agreed to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper when they decided to go into hiding, he'd been talked out of it, then talked into switching. He cast a sidelong glance at Peter, anger and bitterness only crossing his features for a second. He told the Wizengamot that it had been Peter who had talked him into switching, that Peter had become the Secret-Keeper for the Potters at the last minute.

Tense silence filled the courtroom for a few minutes. Amelia Bones was the first to break it. "Assuming this is true," she said slowly, as though she was getting used to the idea, "why didn't you see fit to inform anybody of this switch?"

Sirius stared at Bones for a moment before turning his gaze to Remus. "Because we didn't know who was passing along information to Voldemort—" He paused and rolled his eyes as most of the courtroom made noises of fearful surprise. "I didn't trust the people I should have trusted, and that was my downfall." Remus' brow furrowed. "If I'd trusted the right people, Lily and James Potter would still be alive, and I wouldn't be sitting here at all."

Remus swallowed heavily, nodding that he'd heard and understood Sirius' words were meant more for him than the rest of the courtroom. This was possibly the closest to an apology Remus would ever get, and suddenly he felt the majority of his bitterness towards Sirius ebb.

"Am I correct in stating, Mister Black, that you are claiming it was Peter Pettigrew and not yourself who was passing along information to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Bones asked.

Sirius turned back to the Wizengamot, nodding. "Yes, ma'am," he said firmly. "Peter was their Secret-Keeper, he told Vold—" He rolled his eyes again as the courtroom started their shuddering routine again. "You-Know-Who," he amended impatiently. "He told You-Know-Who where to find the Potters."

"And the next morning?" asked one of the other members of the Wizengamot, apparently transfixed by the story.

Sirius sighed. "I went looking for Peter," he said quietly. "When I heard something had happened in Godric's Hollow, I went there first, to see what had gone on, if there was anything I could do. There wasn't. I was angry, furious, really... And I went after Peter. I found him on that street in London, in the alleyway. And if he hadn't done what he had—"

Remus was certain that if Dumbledore hadn't placed a calming hand on Sirius' wrist, Sirius would have completed that sentence by saying, "I would have killed him," which probably wouldn't have helped his case at all.

"What is it Pettigrew did?" Bones asked.

Remus felt his heart soar at her words. It was no longer what Pettigrew _allegedly _did; that had to mean something. He looked over at Emmeline, finding a small smile on her face—she'd heard it as well.

"Yelled for the street to hear, asking how could I have done what I had to Lily and James. He had his wand behind his back—he was always a crap dueler, so I didn't even notice he didn't have it at his side—and before I could do anything, he blew up the street, cut off his finger, and..." Sirius trailed off a little uncertainly, glancing at Dumbledore, who nodded, once, for him to continue. "And he transformed."

"Transformed?" Bagnold asked, having finally found her voice again. "What do you mean?"

"He's an Animagus," Sirius told them. "A rat, to be specific."

At this, Remus glanced at Peter, certain that the other wizard would be about to blurt out that so was Sirius, but Peter looked oddly confused at the moment. His eyes were glazed over, his mouth opening and closing, forming words though he made no sound. Remus knew he should be a little suspicious at this, but put it out of his mind for the moment.

Bones and Bagnold exchanged confused glances. "We'll have to check the registry..." Bones said uncertainly.

"I'll save you the bother," Sirius said with a hint of amusement. "He's not registered."

"I see..." The look on Bagnold's face said differently and Remus felt himself smiling, trying to fight back the urge to burst out laughing. "Well, obviously, we'll need some proof of this. Alastor, if you would..."

The audience in the courtroom watched raptly as Mad-Eye stood and crossed the room, meeting Dumbledore beside Peter's chair, both of their wands out and at the ready. "Not one wrong move, Pettigrew," Mad-Eye growled threateningly before beginning to remove the chains holding Peter in his chair. Peter swallowed fearfully, but nodded. Once the chains were gone, Peter stood wobbly and stepped forward a few paces at Mad-Eye's order.

Just when Peter was preparing the transformation, Remus' eyes caught a glimpse of red in the lower benches. "Shit," he muttered.

"What?" asked Emmeline, turning towards him.

"Arthur," Remus said tersely. "What are the chances he won't recognize his son's pet rat?"

"Nothing we can do now," Emmeline told him as Peter began to transform.

Remus kept his eyes on Arthur rather than gasping in shock at the rat that appeared on the courtroom floor where Peter Pettigrew had stood a moment ago. He saw Arthur leaning forward for a better look, just like all the other observers, then saw his shoulders tense as recognition dawned. He wondered if it was just his imagination that made it appear that a few of Arthur's red hairs turned grey as he sat back heavily in his seat. It took a hell of a lot of restraint not to fly across the courtroom and curse the man who'd disguised himself as a rat and hidden out in his family's home for five years, sleeping on his son's pillow.

Remus leaned over to Emmeline. "We really have a lot of explaining to do with Arthur and Molly."

Emmeline faintly nodded her agreement, though most of her attention was stuck on the Wizengamot's benches. "Most of them look convinced..."

Pulling his gaze from the back of Arthur's head, returning it to the wizarding high court. Indeed, most of them looked curiously between Sirius and Peter, who had been forcefully returned to his human form after his apparent inability to do so himself—Remus suddenly recalled Peter had more difficulty with the retransformation when he was stressed out or afraid. Remus could see several of them connecting what Sirius had said and what they'd just seen Peter do. Among them was Amelia Bones, who, Remus knew, held more influence with the Minister of Magic than a lot of the other Wizengamot members. If she was on Sirius' side, or was being swayed in that direction...

"Given this new evidence, I would like the record noted that the charges against Peter Pettigrew have increased to include illegal Animagery," Bagnold told the court, her voice rather subdued. "In addition, in light of the new evidence, which, I believe corroborates Mister Black's testimony," Sirius sat as far forward in his chair as the restraints would allow him, "the charges of escaping Azkaban no longer apply, since, unless I am very much mistaken, it is not illegal to escape a place in which one does not belong."

Emmeline's grip on Remus' hand would have been painful if he hadn't been squeezing back just as tightly.

"And the wand that was stolen from Alastor's office?" Bones asked, almost as an afterthought.

Bagnold looked at Mad-Eye, still stood beside Dumbledore. "Do you wish to press charges, Alastor?" asked the Minister.

"No," Mad-Eye responded gruffly. "It was his by rights, after all."

Emmeline looked at Remus with furrowed brow. "Why not just say it was Peter?" she asked.

"Does it really matter at this point?" Remus asked, aware he was grinning from ear to ear. "It's a misdemeanor at best; Peter's going away for life."

"True."

"Shall we vote, then?" Bagnold asked, looking around at the Wizengamot.

Remus noted triumphantly that the looks of disgust that had been fixed upon Sirius when he'd entered the courtroom had been transferred to Peter.

"All those in favor of convicting Peter Pettigrew for the murders of twelve Muggles on 1 November 1981, previously passing along information on the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and attempted kidnapping of Harry Potter?"

It didn't take much more than a glance at the Wizengamot to tell where Peter would be spending the remaining years of his life. Remus hadn't been sure how he would feel when Peter was convicted of the crimes he'd committed; he thought sadness, perhaps, for the loss of the friend he'd known as a boy, anger for not knowing what had truly happened, bitterness that he hadn't figured all this out sooner. And he did feel all that, but he also felt cold satisfaction with the knowledge that Peter was finally getting exactly what was coming to him. He was suddenly thankful Dumbledore had stopped him from murdering Peter in Surrey; if he had done what he'd wanted, there was no chance Sirius would be facing freedom as he so soon would be.

There was a restrained cry of triumph beside him. He turned to Emmeline. "We're not done yet," he reminded her.

She nodded, but the smile that he was certain was reflected on his own face remained.

The vote to convict Peter was unanimous. Remus barely heard Bagnold's command for the Aurors standing in the shadows of the courtroom and remove Peter over the wizard's shrieks and cries for mercy. Sirius glared coldly at Peter as he was pulled from the room, a twisted smile on his face. Remus wondered if part of the reason Mad-Eye hadn't removed the restraints around Sirius' arms and legs was so he couldn't do anything to Peter that would result in him actually earning the title of psychotic murderer.

Chatter and conversation filled with disbelief along with the noise of furiously scratching quills across parchment and clicks of magical cameras from the wizarding press filled the courtroom when Peter's crying was finally silenced. Remus idly wondered whether the dementors had caught up with him yet...

"In the case of Sirius Black," called Bagnold's voice when silence finally returned to the courtroom, "those in favor of upholding the Ministry's conviction from 1 November 1981?"

One or two hands rose rather shakily as though they were uncertain what they were voting about at all. _Perhaps they don't want to upset the current state of things_, Remus thought bitterly, glaring at the old wizards sitting at the back of the benches. _Setting Sirius free means the Ministry has to admit they were in the wrong about so many things, then try to make up for those things. I won't be surprised if people call for an inquiry into the entire Bagnold administration..._

Bones was almost smiling when she asked, "Those in favor of overturning aforementioned conviction?"

Remus hardly heard Bagnold's declaration of "the conviction is so overturned," as Emmeline turned towards him, placed a hand on either side of her face, and kissed him in celebration. Just as he started to remind himself that not only were they in a public place, not only were they in the Ministry of Magic, and not only was Sirius probably taking notes on their performance to tease Remus mercilessly about it later, but Harry had tuned back into the goings on around them, Emmeline pulled away, a wide smile on her face.

"Come on," she said eagerly, tugging on his hand in her haste to meet Sirius in the middle of the courtroom. The wizard's restraints had been removed by Mad-Eye, who was now in conversation with Dumbledore and Bones. Sirius was currently looking around him in stunned wariness, as though he was uncertain whether he was in a dream or not. Remus watching with a small grin as Sirius tentatively started to stand from his chair, obviously still afraid Aurors and dementors were going to swoop down on him the moment he took a step forward.

"Go," Remus told Emmeline quietly, nodding his head at Harry.

She beamed at him, tears in her eyes, and took off down the staircase.

Remus kneeled down beside Harry. "Can you sit tight for just a few more minutes?" he asked the boy quietly.

"I'm hungry," Harry complained with a sigh.

Chuckling, Remus suddenly found himself thankful that Harry had nothing worse on his mind than slight hunger. "We'll only be a bit longer, I promise, then we can go home. Emmeline and I just have to finish up a few things first."

Nodding, Harry rolled his eyes as he turned back to his coloring book. Remus smiled fondly, ruffled the boy's hair a bit, and stood up, turning back to the courtroom just in time to see Emmeline fling herself at Sirius, wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him on the cheek. He felt himself suddenly fighting back the ridiculous urge to be jealous as Sirius finally snapped out of his own daze, hug Emmeline around the waist, lift her a little off the ground, and turn her in a circle. He had to remind himself that in all the time he'd known the two of them, there had been no indication that either of them felt anything that should cause Remus to do something wholly unnecessary to remind Sirius of a few things...

Luckily he found just the distraction he needed...

"Arthur?" he said tentatively.

The red-haired man before him, normally cheerful and welcoming, sat staring in horrified shock at the door through which Peter had disappeared only a few minutes before. Remus couldn't imagine the thoughts currently going through the older wizard's mind, though he was certain he recognized the desperate desire to un-see and un-hear everything he'd just witnessed. Well, that and to put off going home to explain to his hot-tempered wife what had just happened...

As though in a daze, Arthur finally turned away from the door to see who had spoken to him. Confusion mingled with surprise flashed across the older wizard's face as he stood to greet the younger. "Remus!" said Arthur, only slightly less jovially than he normally would have sounded. "Good lord, son! We've been trying to contact you and Emmeline for weeks, you just dropped off the planet."

Remus shuffled his feet around nervously, smiling sheepishly at Arthur. "Yes, I apologize that we didn't send an owl, but things happened so quickly that we didn't really have much time." He had to remind himself that Arthur didn't know about his arrest by the Ministry; somehow Dumbledore and Mad-Eye had teamed up to keep it quiet. The public response would undoubtedly destroy what chances he still had at leading a normal life.

Arthur was nodding understandingly. "We did hear about Emmeline's accident." His eyes darted to his right where Emmeline was having a discussion with Amelia Bones about something; every so often her eyes darted over to him, but darted away just as quickly when she found him looking at her. "She seems to have recovered well enough."

"She has, thankfully."

Arthur nodded, obviously wanting to ask more, but he shook his head slightly and smiled again. "So what brings the two of you here, Remus?" he asked. Before Remus had a chance to answer, however, Arthur went on. "Didn't you tell us once Black was an old friend of yours?"

"I did," Remus told him, suddenly relieved he didn't have to come up with a way to explain.

Arthur's eyes darted at the door again. "And... Pettigrew as well?"

Remus wondered how it was possible that someone like Arthur Weasley, who went out of his way to be kind to people and never speak negative thoughts unless it was necessary could sound so cold and steely just mentioning a name. "Yes," Remus managed to admit, his voice hoarser than normal. "He was a friend once too."

Jaw tensed, Arthur nodded. "Funny how small the world is sometimes," he commented, almost to himself. He managed to shake himself a bit and summon another smile for Remus. "Well, I should be getting on with my day. I hope we'll be seeing more of you and Emmeline soon, and Jamie, of course."

This was the opening Remus had been hoping for, but he wasn't sure what to say now that it'd been presented to him. "Absolutely," he said, eyes darting to where Harry still sat. "Actually, Emmeline and I were hoping to speak with you and Molly about a few things, Jamie being one of them."

The two wizards' eyes locked for a second and Remus was certain the knowing glint in Arthur's meant he knew exactly who Jamie was, but wouldn't call attention to it until Remus was ready. "Of course," he said quietly. "Next weekend, perhaps? Fred and George's birthday is coming up and we're having a small get-together. A few more adults keeping an eye on what they get up to wouldn't go amiss..."

Remus chuckled along with Arthur, said he'd look for the family owl Errol with the details, shook the wizards hand again, and watched him leave. Now he'd set up a date to clear the air, as it were, Remus had no idea how he and Emmeline were supposed to tell them they'd known all along what Peter was, that he'd been hiding out in the Burrow... Telling them about Harry would probably be easy; he doubted Molly and Arthur Weasley, of all people, would be angry with them for attempting to keep a child safe. Then there was Sirius...

With a sigh, Remus turned away from Arthur's retreating back and headed towards Sirius. His old (newly-declared innocent) friend was discussing something with Dumbledore and Mad-Eye, the latter of whom was turned slightly as though trying to keep the reporters from bothering them. As he approached them, Sirius turned toward him, straightening up a bit. His expression changed almost instantly from incredulous happiness to being guarded, and Remus thought he knew why.

Remus hadn't exactly gone out of his way to make Sirius feel welcome since they were reunited. The majority of their meetings, from the very first one in Godric's Hollow on Boxing Day, tended to end in arguments. The remaining time was spent in tense cooperation with Emmeline playing mediator. Much as Remus would have liked to just wave the past away and get back into his friendship with Sirius, he wasn't sure either of them trusted each other enough anymore. It was more than just Lily and James; it was how throughout the entire time they'd known each other, Sirius repeatedly found new ways to cause Remus to question their friendship. There were a hundred examples, most of which Remus hadn't thought about since Hogwarts, but they'd all culminated in the mistrust they'd held for one another in the last year or so of the war.

But there were also the good things, the things Remus somehow managed to avoid thinking about since James and Lily died.

How in second year, Remus had woken up in the hospital wing following a full moon to find his best friends sitting around his bed, waiting to tell him how they'd sussed out where he'd been going once a month for the last year and a half. Sirius had been the first to tell him the fact that he turned into a furry monster once in a while wasn't going to stop them being friends, then told him they'd find a way to help him.

How every morning following a full moon until the Marauders succeeded in becoming Animagi, Sirius would bring him breakfast leftovers if he hadn't felt up to joining them in the Great Hall. On particularly bad days, when Remus needed longer to recuperate, Sirius skived lessons and kept him company, brining him comic books and bags of candy, or just talked with him.

How Sirius had essentially been responsible for Remus acting upon his feelings for Emmeline during school, even though nothing had ever actually come of it. Sirius hadn't been particularly supportive whenever Remus had cancelled dates with her, but he had kept telling him he needed to get over his insecurities.

How, after they'd left Hogwarts and started figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives, Sirius had helped Remus find work at businesses who didn't generally mind if their employees had to take off several days a month. Whenever those jobs fell through, Sirius was the first person to drag Remus back onto his feet and get him back into the world.

The list went on and on. And though Remus knew a few good memories might not be enough to repair the damage they'd done, it was a damn good start.

"Congratulations," Remus finally said, sticking out his hand to Sirius.

Sirius cautiously reached out to shake Remus' hand. "Thanks," he replied. "I, er, suppose I owe you my thanks for all the support, you know, and for being here today..."

Remus almost laughed at the uncomfortable expression on the other wizard's face. Sirius never had been one to admit he needed other people. "If I hadn't, Emmeline would never have let me live it down," he joked, hoping Sirius caught the tone.

The other wizard's snort told him he had. "Whipped already, are we?" Sirius joked back.

Remus rolled his eyes and started to reply when Emmeline appeared at his shoulder, Harry in her arms. "Hate to interrupt," she told them quietly, glancing over her own shoulder. "But if we want to get out of here before the vultures recover from their shock," she nodded her head back to the crowd of reporters who seemed to be comparing notes on what they'd seen today, "we might want to do it now."

Sirius' eyes widened a little fearfully. "Good call," he agreed. "Where to?"

"Kent?" Remus suggested. "They'll be hard-pressed to get past the wards and charms we've got around the cottage."

The other two agreed readily, and while Dumbledore and Mad-Eye ran a bit of interference—the moment they started towards the doors, the reporters seemed to notice they were still in the courtroom and started to swarm—the foursome headed out into the corridor, glancing over their shoulders where the dementors had been before the trial, and headed up to the Atrium to Floo.

* * *

**AN:** Hopefully none of you have keeled over in shock that I've updated so quickly. The chapter is shorter than I'd intended. I actually decided to cut it in half and split it into two chapters. So the good news is you guys get an extra, unplanned chapter from me before the story is over. And next chapter, we get to see the Weasley reaction. Should be good times, no? Please review.


	19. Nineteen

**_Torn_**

By Neurotica

_Nineteen_

Remus leaned on the doorframe between his living room and kitchen watching with a fond smile on his face as Harry and Sirius wrestled around the floor. Whether Harry connected what he'd been told in the past regarding Sirius and the man he'd met today didn't seem to matter: the moment Sirius had offered to take Harry to fly in the backyard, and conjuring a mini-broomstick for Bruce to fly close to the ground, Harry hadn't stopped to think about anything other than having a new friend. And Sirius seemed to be in Heaven now he had the chance to play with his godson in human form for the first time since Harry was in diapers. Since the boy had been born, there hadn't been many lost chances for Sirius to visit Harry and play with him or take him out and spoil him or simply load him up with sugar, then leave him for his parents to deal with.

Somehow, Remus thought, the tradition would continue. But as long as it kept Sirius laughing and happy like he hadn't been since before Azkaban, Remus couldn't honestly give much more than a token protest. At least not until Sirius returned Harry sugared to the gills and bouncing off the walls until two in the morning...

He started a little as a pair of arms encircled his waist from behind, then smiled at Emmeline's soft laugh as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "I didn't hear you come in," he murmured, resting his hands over hers.

"Hmm," was her response. They remained that way for several minutes, watching Sirius stand up, grab Harry around the waist, and "fly" him around the living room. They both chuckled when they saw Harry holding Bruce above his head with the same purpose. When Sirius unceremoniously dumped Harry and Bruce onto the sofa, all of them—Bruce included, Remus swore—in a fit of laughter, they made their presence known.

"All right, you two," Emmeline said, removing her arms from Remus' waist and entering the living room. "Who wants pizza?"

With two nearly identical cries of "PIZZA!" Sirius and Harry raced into the kitchen and started sorting through the stack of boxes Emmeline had gone into town to pick up. Emmeline rolled her eyes at Remus and dragged him to the table to sit down while she went to the icebox for three bottles of butterbeer and a glass of pumpkin juice for Harry. Dinner proceeded with laughter and stories told mostly by Sirius, interspersed every so often with corrections from Remus, and by the time the pizza had been demolished, and the adults' faces hurt for all the laughing they'd done, Harry had fallen asleep sideways in his chair, Bruce's head pulled into his shell and was perched on Harry's arm.

Remus chuckled fondly. "I'll take him to bed," he told Emmeline and Sirius, easily picking up Harry without dislodging Bruce and carried him to his bedroom.

* * *

Sirius watched Remus go with a furrowed brow. "Pretty good with him, isn't he?" he said quietly to Emmeline as they started to clean up the table.

Emmeline's eyes darted down the hallway where Remus was disappearing into Harry's room before answering, "Yes, he is." With a wave of her wand, the butterbeer bottles gathered themselves together, floated as one to the rubbish bin, and dropped in almost silently. "Amazingly so."

She glanced over her shoulder to where Sirius was nodding slowly. "Harry seems to adore him..."

Sighing and giving up on pretense of cleaning up, she turned and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms as she met Sirius' gaze evenly. "What are you getting at, Sirius?" she asked wearily.

"Nothing," Sirius said with a shrug of nonchalance. "Just... I'm happy for you. Both of you. But..."

Having as much experience in understanding what Sirius _wasn't_ saying as she did, Emmeline thought she understood where this line of questioning was headed. "Look, whatever you think right now, neither of us, Remus nor I, have any intention of keeping Harry from you. You're his godfather. And after what I've seen today, that boy will love you in no time. Face the facts, Black, you're stuck with us."

Sirius snorted a laugh and smirked. It faded a moment later. "Speaking of Remus... What about the werewolf thing? You're meeting with the Ministry in a few days; they're going to ask whether Remus is still living with Harry."

Emmeline nodded, sighing deeply. "I know," she said quietly, not meeting Sirius' eyes. "We'll deal with it."

Giving her a searching look, Sirius dropped the subject as Remus reentered the room. The werewolf stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed as he sensed the tension in the room. "Everything all right?" he asked evenly, giving Sirius a slightly accusatory look.

The other wizard rolled his eyes and turned to retrieve the bottle of firewhiskey sitting on the counter. "Everything's fine," Sirius told him, taking three glasses from the cupboard. "But I think we need a drink after all this..."

The three of them headed to the living room where Sirius took up residence in Remus' armchair, Emmeline sat on the sofa, and Remus sat beside her, immediately sliding closer and putting his arm around her while Sirius poured the drinks. Once the three glasses were filled and distributed, Remus raised his glass. "To truth and justice."

"To freedom," Sirius said slightly hoarsely.

Both wizards looked over to Emmeline expectantly, finding a grin on her face. "To talented turtles, scruffy-haired, green-eyed boys, and secret Order missions," was her contribution. Sirius and Remus laughed loudly, only the former wizard spilling any of his drink—he quickly slurped the liquid off his hand, still sniggering. Still smiling, Emmeline spoke again. "Here's my real one: To old friends, here and gone, hope for the future, and love."

"I don't know," Sirius said after a few more quiet moments. "I think I liked the first one better; summed things up pretty well, I thought."

Remus chuckled. "To all the above," he concluded, clinking his glass first against Emmeline's, then Sirius'. The three of them drank deeply, only wincing a bit at the burning as the liquid traveled down their throats. Their glasses set aside, Remus looked over at Sirius, who was refilling their drinks. "So what's next, Sirius?'

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What d'you mean?" he asked.

"Well, as we've established, you've been exonerated, by morning the wizarding world will know that you're not the mad mass murderer we've been fearing for five years... What's your next move?"

Sirius sat back in his chair, contemplating Remus' question. "I don't know," he told him, his eyes a little wide in surprise. "Honestly, I haven't thought about anything past this. And really, I never thought _this_," he waved generally around the room, "would ever actually happen."

"But now that it has, you can go on with life," Emmeline told him firmly. "Pick up where you left off."

Sirius snorted in his whiskey glass. "Where I left off, Harry couldn't string two coherent words together, you two were tiptoeing around each other like awkward third years on their first Hogsmeade date—" Remus threw a pillow at him that managed to miss hitting his glass, though he was blushing rather adorably, Emmeline thought, grinning. "And we were all fighting for our lives."

Emmeline's grin slid off her face. "Point taken," she said quietly, her eyes darting around the room. She knew the wizards were doing the same as the unspoken thought of _And we still had Lily and James_ passed between them.

"We'll adapt," Remus said quietly but firmly, looking between Emmeline and Sirius. "And we'll recover."

The other two nodded their agreement and they lost themselves in thoughts for a few minutes, until Emmeline thought of something that would either push them deeper into brooding or give way to amusement. "There is one more thing we need to do," she told the wizards. The wizards looked at her questioningly, apparently wary of her even tone. "The Weasleys."

To their surprise, Sirius laughed out loud. "That's easy," he said dismissively. "When did you say Arthur invited us over?"

"Us?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow. "There was no _us_, Sirius. He invited myself and Emmeline, and I assume Harry, over for Fred and George's birthday party next weekend."

"No," Emmeline said, sitting up a little straighter. "Sirius needs to be there, he's as part of this as we are."

"Somehow I don't think Molly Weasley will appreciate interrupting her sons' birthday with Sirius effing Black in tow," Remus retorted.

Sirius smirked. "I still say Sirius Black, Azkaban Escapee Extraordinaire had a nice ring to it," he said thoughtfully. Remus glared at him. "Look, if you two want to come completely clean with the Weasleys, you might as well do it right."

Emmeline nodded her agreement. "I'll talk to Arthur on Monday, make sure it's all right," she said decisively. "Sorry, Remus, you're outvoted."

Remus threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine," he muttered. "As long as we make it known that I was wholly against this when Molly sets her chickens after us."

* * *

Next morning, they were greeted by a _Daily Prophet_ owl sitting on Remus' windowsill. While Remus made breakfast for them, Emmeline and Sirius rather eagerly pursued the morning's news which, unsurprisingly, included the headline _**Sirius Black Innocent!**_ Emmeline read the accompanying article aloud for Remus' benefit that outlined the previous day's events within the Ministry of Magic. The articles following covered a range of topics—Peter Pettigrew's shocking Animagus abilities; how the Ministry had overlooked the details of what had happened in London on 1 November 1981; questioning how many other people had been wrongfully thrown into Azkaban.

"They act like they knew Sirius was innocent all along," Emmeline said in annoyance. "They were the first ones to petition giving him the Kiss."

Sirius choked on his pumpkin juice. "S-sorry?" he coughed.

Emmeline winced. "Did we forget to mention that?" she asked sheepishly. "It was thrown around for a few days, but in the end, obviously, the Ministry decided it had more important things to worry about."

"You know," Sirius told them once he stopped coughing, "I never thought I'd be happy to see the Ministry get lost in its own bureaucracy."

"And if it makes you feel any better," Remus said conversationally, floating plates of food to the table, "Emmeline and I were all for you _not _getting the Kiss." Sirius opened his mouth as though to say thanks; he snapped his mouth shut again when Remus went on. "We felt it was counterproductive in making you suffer for what happened if your soul had been removed."

Sirius glared at him. "Cheers, mate," he muttered darkly.

Remus shot him a grin and wink. As he sat at the table alongside Emmeline and Sirius, Harry wandered out of his bedroom, yawning hugely, his hair more mussed than any of them thought it possible, and Bruce on his shoulder.

Breakfast proceeded peacefully; it wasn't until the dishes had been set to wash that the fireplace began to light up for what would be the first of many times that day that reality set back in. Every remaining Order member had popped in to find out if it was true, if Sirius was truly innocent, Peter guilty. By lunchtime, Remus had had more people in his fireplace than he'd had since the war had ended. At dinnertime, Dumbledore had even visited to see how everyone was coping and to give them a bit of news.

"Peter Pettigrew has officially been sentenced to life in Azkaban," the Headmaster told them. "A variety of wards and spells have been placed around his cell to ensure he will be unable to transform."

"Good," Sirius said with a slight sneer. "If anyone deserves the full effect of dementors without the hope of escape, it's him. That's the reason the dementors didn't affect me like they should've, you know. Any time it became too much, I turned into Padfoot and I could block out the worst of it." He shot a glance at Remus. "Got you to thank for that, I reckon."

Remus looked at him in surprise. "Me?" he asked incredulously. "How'd you work that one out?"

"If you weren't a werewolf, if we'd never met you at all, we'd never have become Animagi. I probably wouldn't have survived Azkaban."

Remus only raised an eyebrow. "If you lot hadn't become Animagi, you wouldn't have gone to Azkaban at all. Peter wouldn't have been able to escape the way he had..."

"All right, enough from both of you," Emmeline said firmly, exchanging a slightly amused expression with Dumbledore. "I thought we were done with the blame game."

"Did you agree to that?" Sirius asked Remus. Remus shook his head. "Me neither."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, it might interest you to know, Remus, that I have had a word with the Ministry on your behalf." Brows furrowed around the room. Before Remus could inquire what Dumbledore meant, the wizard went on. "So long as precautions are taken, you will not be barred from residing with Harry, should you so desire."

Remus stared rather dumbly at Dumbledore. "How..." he managed to breathe.

The older wizard smiled gently at him. "It is remarkable what a few good words to the right people might accomplish."

"Let me get this straight," Sirius said, leaning forward and looking between Dumbledore and Remus. "After their meltdown over Remus being around Harry, the Ministry has suddenly decided it's okay? I thought they were afraid Remus'd eat Harry if given half a chance."

"Not bloody likely," Remus said dryly, glancing to where Harry was playing with his toys in a corner. "Kid's a bit too scrawny for my tastes."

Sirius snorted appreciatively. Dumbledore chuckled. Emmeline rolled her eyes, but smiled. "What changed their minds?" asked the witch.

"Since the Ministry was obviously wrong about Sirius, they have begun to second guess many of their decisions over the past few years," Dumbledore explained. "When I spoke to Minister Bagnold about Remus, she was more willing to reevaluate prohibiting him from living with Harry. Though, I must admit, the Minister was rather preoccupied with other things; it seems since yesterday afternoon, she has become worried about maintaining her post."

"As she should be," Emmeline said bluntly. "If she and Barty Crouch would have given Sirius any chance at a trial, we wouldn't even be discussing this right now."

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "There is talk of elections in the coming weeks. Naturally, I have been asked to take office, but I politely declined."

Remus grinned. "What's this, sir? The fifth time you've been asked since we started Hogwarts?"

"I have lost count, Remus," Dumbledore said airily. "But it matters not. I will keep all of you apprised on any news. In the meantime, Sirius, I do not know whether you intend to remain here in Kent with Remus, Emmeline, and Harry, but should you desire time to yourself, I have taken the liberty of holding onto the flat in London where you three," he gestured between Remus, Emmeline, and Harry, "resided during your months there. It is yours, if you would like; otherwise, it may come in handy in the future."

Ignoring the mysterious tone in the Headmaster's voice, Remus looked over at Sirius curiously. No one had discussed whether Sirius' occupying of the cottage's sofa would be temporary or permanent. Remus wasn't sure which he would prefer; the house wasn't exactly large. When he'd been a child, it had been perfectly sized for his parents and himself. After his parents had died, he'd had more than enough room to himself. Now with Emmeline and Harry in the house, it felt as it had when Remus had been a boy, but he didn't know whether, with another full grown wizard in the house, it would be _too_ crowded.

Sirius glanced at Remus out of the corner of his eye. "I'll consider that, sir, thank you," he said quietly. "It's a bit too quiet out here for my tastes anyway. London's more of a fit for me."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will arrange it, then," he said, standing. "I should return to the castle. There is no telling what sort of mischief the students will have gotten themselves into whilst I was away."

After various goodbyes, Dumbledore left through the Floo, Sirius went to play with Harry, and Emmeline was left with Remus. During the discussion, Remus hadn't seemed to physically react to what Dumbledore had said in regards to Remus now being able to reside with Harry long term. Now his eyes had rested on Harry and he had a small smile on his face.

"See," Emmeline said quietly, scooting up beside him and weaving her arm through his. "I told you it'd work out."

Remus chuckled quietly, resting his head against hers. "Didn't think it would be that easy, though," he murmured. "I thought I'd have to..." He trailed off suddenly, his body stiffening.

Emmeline looked up at him curiously. "You'd have to what?"

He shook his head, his eyes darting everywhere but at her. "Nothing," he said hastily. "Makes things easier, though, I suppose."

"It does," she agreed, giving him a suspicious glance before resting her head on his shoulder again. "Assuming you don't mind the company, I won't have to keep the house in London."

A smile slowly began to grow on Remus' face. "Are you telling me you'd like to move in with me?" he asked, his voice oddly husky.

"Maybe," Emmeline replied, meeting his gaze a little shyly. "Unless you have objections, of course..."

"Objections?" he asked, closing the distance between their lips. "I think not..."

The kiss barely had the chance to develop into anything resembling heated when a pillow hit Remus in the head, forcing them apart. Two distinctive laughs could be heard quickly retreating from the room. Remus counted to three silently, giving Sirius and Harry a head start before chasing them out into the backyard.

* * *

"This is not a good idea," Remus murmured, adjusting his grip on a wildly squirming Harry.

"Relax," Emmeline whispered back, raising her hand to knock on the front door of the Burrow. "The more wound up you are, the more wound up Molly will be."

"Yeah, but it's not _Remus_ she'll curse if she gets _wound up_," Sirius commented from behind them.

Emmeline sighed in slight annoyance. "We're doing this," she told both wizards firmly. "Get it together, both of you." She waited for both of them to nod resignedly before knocking on the door.

The door opened a few moments later, following a crash probably caused by Fred and George, and they were faced with Arthur Weasley's smiling, if a little frazzled, face. "Right on time," he said cheerfully. "Molly's prepared tea and most of the children are outside, and the ones who aren't will be shortly."

Emmeline and Remus both shook hands with the man; Remus then gestured to the boy in his arms. "Arthur, I'd like to introduce you to Harry," he said evenly. The reaction was immediate. Arthur's eyes widened slightly and darted up to Harry's forehead. "Harry, this is Mister Weasley."

Harry gave a small wave. Remus could tell he was fighting not to reveal that he already knew the Weasleys, that he'd spent days at the Burrow before today.

"Well," Arthur said, looking very slightly star-struck, "that explains a great many things. And..." His eyes darted just over Emmeline's shoulder. At Sirius. Arthur swallowed hard. When he spoke next, his voice shook. "Well, come in, then. Molly will wonder where I've gotten to..."

_And probably come to the conclusion that psycho murderer Sirius Black got him_, Remus thought darkly.

As they entered the Burrow, Remus felt Sirius tense behind him and Emmeline squeezed his hand; he was relieved to find that despite all their bravado, both of them seemed as nervous about this as he. In the kitchen, Molly bustled around preparing tea and sandwiches with her back to them. Arthur cleared his throat softly, causing the already apparently jumpy Molly to yelp and knock over the cup of tea she'd been filling. Surreptitiously, Arthur waved his wand to clean up the spilled liquid and repair the teacup; Molly, wiping her hands on her apron, turned around to face the guests. She greeted Emmeline and Remus as Arthur had, did the same double-take at Harry, then glanced at Sirius and blanched. Her eyes, wide as saucers, immediately darted away from the wizard as she ushered everyone to the kitchen table. Once they'd all been seated and provided with tea, Emmeline caught Remus' eye and nodded—she wanted him to begin.

He cleared his throat, setting down his teacup and looking up at the Weasleys. "I'd just like to start off by saying thank you for having us over," he told them quietly. "I realize we dropped off the face of the earth very abruptly and without explanation, but I hope you'll give us the chance to explain and make amends."

Arthur and Molly exchanged a glance, then turned back to Remus, listening attentively.

Remus took a deep breath. "Firstly, we haven't been completely honest with you," he said slowly, finding himself unable to meet anybody's eye. He did, however, manage to catch Molly's lips purse and her eyes narrow. Remus looked over at Harry, sitting beside Emmeline, munching obliviously on biscuits and a sandwich. "I don't have a nephew. I'm an only child."

The Weasleys' brows furrowed as they looked between Remus and Harry. Emmeline answered their unspoken question. "Harry is Jamie," she told them. "Or Jamie is Harry, whichever you prefer. Last summer, Remus and I were asked to take him in for his safety," her eyes darted to Remus' other side, at Sirius. "Before that, we hadn't seen him since he was a baby; he was living with his mother's sister and her family. His safety was compromised."

"Last summer," Arthur repeated slowly. His eyes drifted over to Sirius as well. Sirius himself was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Remus nodded. "Yes," he said. "The situation was sparked by Sirius' escape from Azkaban. As I'm sure you know by now, however, especially since Arthur was at the trial, the concern for Harry's safety in terms of Sirius was unnecessary. We," he gestured between himself and Emmeline, "didn't know that. We believed what everybody else believed, that he'd done horrible things and he was someone to be feared."

"He's really not, though," Emmeline insisted lightly, mischief lacing her tone. "He's just a big, fluffy puppy dog. Aren't you, Sirius?"

Remus coughed to cover his laugh and quickly took a sip of tea to hide his smile. He had to kick Sirius under the table, warning him to get the murderous glare he was sending Emmeline off his face; somehow, he didn't think it'd help their case at all. "Anyway," he said hastily before either Weasley caught the look. They seemed to have stalled out on the whole _we've been entertaining Harry Potter in our home for months._ "In order to keep Harry hidden from the public, we kept him under a glamour charm and gave him a new identity as my nephew Jamie. We weren't supposed to socialize with anybody not involved; one wrong move and it would have all been over." Remus paused and sighed deeply, reflecting that everything they'd feared and worried over had come to pass, and it still surprised him every time he remembered it had turned out well. He glanced at Emmeline and smiled to himself. _Better than just well..._

"But if you were charged with keeping Jam... er, _Harry_ safe," Molly began uncertainly, "then why..."

"Why did we befriend you?" Emmeline finished for her, smiling wryly. Molly nodded a little sheepishly. "Several reasons. Chief among them that Harry and Ron got on so well. Harry, both of them, really, deserved the chance to have a friend, to have some fun. And Remus and I... Well, to be honest, we like you, both of you and your family. Neither of us has really had the chance to acquaint ourselves with new people who weren't always asking questions about Lily and James and Harry..." Her eyes darted over to Sirius again. "Not to mention the people who would edge around us, wondering how it was possible we hadn't seen our supposed best friend had gone over to the other side. After a while, we stopped trying to make new friends and just went on with what we had."

Sirius' eyes bent with guilt, sadness, and a tinge of anger.

"And this Peter Pettigrew fellow," Arthur ventured hesitantly, glancing at his wife. Molly's grip on her teacup had turned her fingers bright white. "You knew him as well."

"Yes."

Remus looked over in surprise; it was the first thing Sirius had said since he entered the Burrow. And Remus was further surprised to note there wasn't much of a growl to his friend's voice as was the case whenever he was forced to discuss Peter.

"We knew him," Sirius went on. "Not as well as we thought, obviously, but..." He shrugged. "I was the only one who knew the truth from the beginning. I knew what he was, what he'd done, and I escaped Azkaban to hunt him down. Imagine my surprise when I found him here."

Remus suppressed the audible groan as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought it had been agreed upon that discussions of Peter and his hiding place for five years would be broached very carefully. Sirius, it seemed, hadn't listened to a word of that. _Don't know why I'm surprised, _Remus thought bitterly, glaring at Sirius.

Emmeline was eyeing the Weasleys nervously. "I hope you won't consider this too presumptuous, but I wonder if it would be okay for Harry to go play outside, maybe find the other children?"

Harry perked up at this immediately, smiling hopefully.

"Of course it wouldn't," Molly said faintly, still staring at Sirius. "They should be at the orchard, dear. You remember how to find it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry responded, nodding eagerly. He finished off his sandwich and allowed Emmeline to help him back into his coat and shoes. "Can I tell them?" whispered the boy to Emmeline. "About Jamie?"

"If you want, love," Emmeline murmured after seeing Arthur's nod that it was okay with him. She smiled back and brushed the hair away from Harry's eyes. "It up to you."

Molly rather mechanically stood and walked Harry to the backdoor, just as she'd done for Jamie on dozens of occasions in the past. She returned to her seat shakily and sat, her hand clumsily searching for Arthur's.

"What do you mean," Arthur began evenly, his free hand automatically reaching for his pocketed wand, "you found him here?"

Sirius sighed and rested his clasped hands on the tabletop, leaning forward a bit. As he bit his lip, choosing his words carefully, he ignored the Weasleys shrinking back in their seats. "I found him by chance," he said slowly. "And I assure you, if there had been a way to tell you what he was, I would've done. But at that point, my two best friends wouldn't have believed me, not without proof, and I seriously doubt that you two would have believed me." Arthur was nodding slowly, hanging on Sirius' every word. "I kept myself hidden from your family and Peter as long as I could. Unfortunately, for me, he sensed I was near and took off. Faked his death as I understand it." Sirius grinned wryly. "He's gotten good at that."

Realization dawned on Molly's face first. She sucked in a deep breath and gripped Arthur's hand more tightly. "Snuffles," she breathed. "Percy thought Snuffles _ate_ Scabbers."

Sirius nodded and when Molly looked at him next, they both wore matching expressions of anger, disgust, and loathing. "I didn't hang around after that," Sirius went on. "My only hope was to convince someone of the truth. So I went to Remus. It took a few conversations, but eventually he was willing to listen without pointing his wand at me."

The Weasleys returned their attention back on Remus. He thought he knew what would come next: the Weasleys would want to know, if Remus had discovered the truth about Peter Pettigrew and that the man had been using the Burrow as their hideout, then why didn't Remus tell them?

But when Arthur spoke next, Remus thought he sensed understanding in the man's tone. "And the disappearance?" he asked quietly. "There were rumors about arrests, but no one could give anybody any answers."

Emmeline looked at Remus uneasily, silently asking whether he wanted full disclosure with the Weasleys or whether the werewolf information should be kept under lock and key. Remus opted for the latter; there were just some things best kept secret. Emmeline seemed to understand and she answered Arthur's question. "My brother is an Auror. He was brought in from America to help with the search for Sirius. We had to lie to him about Harry's identity as well, and he bought it. Until he worked out that Remus had been meeting with Sirius in secret. My brother assumed Remus and Sirius had somehow Confunded me into believing the story about Sirius being innocent. He had Remus arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a fugitive. Alastor Moody and Albus Dumbledore smoothed things over for him, but the Ministry decided we hadn't done enough to keep Harry safe and sent him back to his relatives. The only thing on our mind after that was getting him back and finding some way to clear Sirius' name."

"We are sorry we lied to you," Remus told the Weasleys quietly. "And we will certainly understand if you decide you want nothing more to do with us. All we ask is that you at least consider allowing Harry and Ron to play together. Those two seem to be cut from the same cloth; I can't tell you the number of times Harry asked us about when he would get to see Ron again." The look Molly and Arthur exchanged told them Ron had been asking the same questions about when he would get to see "Jamie" again. "And to be perfectly honest," he allowed himself a small smile, "the three of us could use all the friends we can get at this point. Most people aren't going to want to associate with us, knowing who we associate with." He shot a pointed glance at Sirius.

Sirius caught the look. "Oi!" he cried indignantly. "Better than being associated with a grumpy snoring git like you!"

Remus' eyes widened as he sputtered. "Snoring! You're going to talk to me about snoring!"

Emmeline smiled indulgently at the wizards before turning to the Weasleys. "And they're off..." she muttered apologetically. "So what do you think?"

Remus and Sirius broke off their insult exchange for the moment to turn back to the conversation. Arthur and Molly looked at each other for long moments, obviously communicating their thoughts silently in a way only a couple who'd been together as long as they had could. "Well," Arthur told them quietly several moments later, "I admit the circumstances are a little odd. It will take some time for us to come to terms with our son's pet being an illegal Animagus—" Arthur shot Sirius a questioning look when the younger wizard started a little in his chair. Remus kicked him under the table again. "—but we certainly agree about the boys. Ron hasn't exactly been quiet about Jamie—or Harry, rather—especially since Snuffles ran away."

Emmeline choked on the tea she'd just sipped. Remus reached over to pat her on the back, forcing a look of curiosity onto his face. Beside him, Sirius had reached for a biscuit and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. "Snuffles ran away?" Remus asked. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

* * *

When Harry reached the orchard, he found Fred and George on their broomsticks, chasing each other around while Ron looked on with a look of envy. None of the Weasleys seemed to have noticed him, so Harry approached Ron on his own, deciding not to disclose his previous identity just yet.

"Hi," he called out to the redheaded boy.

Ron looked up in surprise, eyeing the new arrival cautiously. "Hi," he responded.

"I'm Harry."

"Ron."

The boys shook hands. Ron squinted a little at Harry. "What's that on your head?"

"Huh?" Harry asked cluelessly. "Oh..." He held up his fringe.

Ron's blue eyes widened almost comically. "Wicked..." he breathed. "You're Harry Potter!"

Harry nodded. "Yep," he responded dismissively, turning to the twin boys still flying overhead. "Those your brothers?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said grudgingly. "And it's their birthday. They hid my broomstick this morning as a joke and won't let me fly with them."

Grimacing sympathetically, Harry and Ron started plotting revenge.

* * *

As the afternoon went on, Molly and Arthur seemed to have come to terms with what they'd been told about Peter and Sirius. They were still a little uneasy around the former prisoner of Azkaban, but Molly had decided at some point he was far too thin and needed a bit of fattening up—the next round of sandwiches she made were placed directly in front of Sirius, and Molly fixed him with a stern expression until he picked up on it and picked up a sandwich.

When the children returned from the orchard for cake, they were introduced to Sirius—Fred and George, especially, were a little awed that the man they'd been taught to fear alongside Lord Voldemort was in their kitchen, having their birthday cake. Ron was rather standoffish after the initial meeting; several times Sirius caught the boy looking at him intently as though trying to work out some sort of puzzle. Sirius couldn't help but wonder whether Ron had somehow connected him with his Animagus form. When he brought this up to Remus while the pair of them stood against a wall watching the twins open their presents, the werewolf accused him of paranoia.

"He's six, Sirius," Remus told him in a low tone. "Full grown wizards who've known you for ages have seen you in your Animagus form and looked right past you. There is no way Ron will have recognized you."

Sirius only sighed and went back to watching the twins. Whether Ron had worked it out or not—Remus was probably right; he was a kid and what kid would possibly come to the conclusion that his pet dog was actually a wizard?—the rest of the day went smoothly. Molly and Arthur even invited the four of them back some time soon, and Emmeline accepted the open invitation for all of them as she carried a sleeping Harry out of the Burrow.

"Cottage?" Remus asked Emmeline and Sirius as they reached their Apparition spot. They each nodded, the witch increasing her grip on Harry so as not to lose him somewhere along the journey.

Almost the moment she appeared in the living room, a second behind Sirius, she told the wizards she was taking Harry to bed and she'd be right back. Remus retrieved three bottles of butterbeer and handed one to Sirius. "So that went well," Remus said lightly, tapping his bottle against Sirius' and taking a drink. "We all left in one piece, anyway."

Sirius snorted a laugh and sat down in the armchair. "They were probably too afraid I'd curse them both if they didn't believe us," he said half-jokingly.

Remus shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "If they weren't going to believe us, they never would have let us in the house in the first place." He sipped thoughtfully. "Besides, Molly seemed to enjoy fussing over your thinness."

Grinning, Sirius took a deep swig of drink. "I have to say, I missed her cooking," he said. "Even to a dog's taste buds, that woman is a culinary genius."

Remus chuckled.

Sirius' brow furrowed as he sat his bottle on the table in front of him. "Remus," he said, his mind drifting back to the conversation about Ron. Since the trial, there had a been a thought flitting across his mind, one he'd been meaning to ask Remus or Emmeline, or even Dumbledore, but every time the chance came up, there had been something else going on. "At the trial, when I was telling the Wizengamot about Peter being an Animagus, I looked at him and he'd opened his mouth to tell them I'm one too, but at the last second, he stopped. Why wouldn't he incriminate me too?"

Remus looked confused for a moment, then his own brow furrowed in thought as he seemingly recalled the same moment. He opened his mouth to respond, but it was Emmeline who spoke. "Mad-Eye," she said, entering the room and sitting next to Remus. Sirius handed her the remaining unopened butterbeer and she smiled her thanks before explaining. "He and Dumbledore knew there might be a chance Peter would open his mouth about you being an Animagus. And really, who could have blamed him? What did he have to lose? He was already going to Azkaban for a long list of things, so why not give one last ditch effort to bring you down with him?"

"What did they do?" Remus asked slowly.

Emmeline grinned rather wickedly. It was a look that made both Remus and Sirius slightly uneasy. "Confundus Charm," she said simply, sipping her drink. "Mad-Eye had his wand poised and ready for the moment Peter started opening his mouth. And even if he manages to tell someone who matters about you, no one's going to believe him. He's already under dementor influence and he can't even transform to shield himself from the worst of it." She raised her bottle to Sirius. "I reckon you're safe for a little while yet."

Sirius beamed at her. "Brilliant," he chortled. "Never ceases to amaze me how easily he'll agree to doing something illegal when he's the one who's supposed to be arresting wrongdoers."

"He only ever agrees when he knows it's justified," Remus told him.

"Suppose," Sirius said, shrugging. "Whatever the case, I appreciate it." His eyes darted between Emmeline and Remus for a moment, and he shifted a little uncomfortably. "And in case I haven't said it yet, I appreciate what you two've done for me as well. I never would have made it this far without you. So... thank you."

Emmeline smiled softly; Remus swallowed. "No need to thank us, Sirius," he said hoarsely. "This never should have happened in the first place. I think we owe you an apology for not trusting you."

Sirius waved this off. "Water under the bridge, mate," he said airily. "Everything worked out, didn't it? No need to dwell on it anymore."

"Right," Remus said, grinning lopsidedly. "Staying here tonight?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind," he said, relieved that Remus wasn't going to get any further into the sentimental side of things. "I should be able to get settled in the flat early next week, so you'll be rid of me soon."

"You're welcome anytime, Sirius," Emmeline told him, smiling.

The three of them chatted for another hour or so before Emmeline decided to call it a night. She kissed Remus briefly, summoned pillows and a blanket for Sirius to sleep on the sofa—the third bedroom of Remus' home was currently set up as an office—and left the wizards to their own devices. Sirius watched Remus watching Emmeline as she went down the hall with a grin.

"So when's the wedding?" Sirius asked teasingly once Remus' bedroom door closed.

Remus turned back to him, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead. "Beg pardon?" he asked evenly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You heard me."

"Sirius, we've only been a couple for a few weeks," Remus told him. "Little too soon for that, don't you think?"

"It would be for any other couple," Sirius scoffed. "But this has been a good ten years in the making, probably more. You really telling me you haven't thought about it?"

Remus sighed and sat back in the cushions. "Maybe," he admitted in a mutter.

"So what's stopping you?"

The werewolf gave him a look. "Sirius, what's to say once everything calms down again she won't come to her senses about me? I haven't exactly given her much to be confident about. Not to mention, ten years later, I'm still trying to figure out what it is she could possibly see in me. And anyway..." He trailed off, his eyes darting all around the room.

Sirius frowned. He hadn't seen that particular expression on Remus' face since they were at Hogwarts and he was pacing their dorm room, fretting about whether or not to ask Emmeline to Hogsmeade with him. "What?" he asked quietly.

Remus swallowed. "What if I screw it up again?" he said in little more than a whisper.

Sirius felt a grin form on his face. It was rather nice to see Remus, always so poised and certain about most things, still looking like a nervous teenager. "You won't," he said certainly. Remus raised his eyebrow as though to ask what made Sirius so confident. "After all this time, do you really think Emmeline will _let_ you screw it up?" Remus smiled a little. "Just make sure when you do get married, I'm your best man. I think I earned it, watching you two all these years."

Remus chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind," he muttered, standing and gathering the bottles of butterbeer. "We should get some sleep. It's been a long few weeks."

"Tell me about it," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "See you in the morning then."

Sirius was just getting settled on the couch when Remus popped his head back around the door. "On a different subject," he said quietly, "we might need you to take Harry out for the day next weekend. I thought I might take Emmeline on a picnic or something."

Looking up from the sofa, Sirius found Remus grinning at him. "Did you now?" Sirius asked gleefully.

Remus nodded. "And I might need your advice on a purchase I'll need to make beforehand."

"You got it, mate," Sirius told him.

Remus winked, said goodnight, and headed down the hallway.

Settling again, Sirius put his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Seven months ago, he never thought he'd be here again, with friends who stood behind him. He'd hoped he might manage to convince Remus of the truth eventually, but he hadn't believed it would happen so easily.

Sirius snorted at the thought. His mind ran through the series of events since he'd been reunited with Remus—from that full moon night when Moony and Padfoot had faced off; the meeting in Godric's Hollow on Boxing Day; the day Remus and Emmeline had arrived at the Burrow for the first time and found Sirius had been hiding there in Animagus form. None of it had been easy and there had been moments when Sirius thought his escape from Azkaban had been all for nothing—if any one of the people who had helped him out of this mess had decided he wasn't to be trusted after all, he'd be back in prison and Peter would still be at large.

He repeatedly had to remind himself, though, that everything _had_ worked out. Peter was where he belonged, Harry was safe and with people he loved and who loved him, Sirius had his whole future to look forward to, and he had Remus and Emmeline back. It wasn't perfect by any means—Lily and James should have been there—but it was as close to perfection as they'd probably get for now.

As Sirius fell asleep, the smile remained on his face.

* * *

**AN:** I know, your minds are boggling right now at the rapid update schedule I've been trying to keep. Good news: Next chapter will be up within a week or so, since I've got it almost halfway done anyway. Bad news: Next chapter will be the last chapter of the story. So before then, please review, and I'll try to get the chapter up in a timely manner.


	20. Twenty

_**Torn**_

By Neurotica

_Epilogue_

Emmeline Lupin placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of the scruffy-headed boy at the kitchen table, smoothing back his hair a bit before heading back to the stove. The boy sleepily muttered his thanks and dug in. As she prepared more plates, she did what every typical mother did on days like these: wondered at how she'd gotten here at all. Once they'd gotten past Sirius' and Peter's trials, the only thing left to contend with was getting back to some semblance of normality. It had taken them a few months to realize not only had they never been normal, but considering what they'd all been through during the last year, their chances of finding normality were in the range of slim and none.

But once the excitement had died down, once the press tired of filling their newspapers and magazines with articles about Sirius Black and Harry Potter, and the general public got somewhat used to seeing either or both of them out and about, they were able to get on with their lives.

"Morning, love," said a cheerful voice from the kitchen door. "Morning, Harry."

Emmeline looked up and smiled as Remus crossed the room for his morning kiss, then took the plate she offered him to the table, sat beside Harry, and mussed the hair Emmeline had just smoothed back. Six years ago, the only thing she'd really hoped for was that she and Remus might someday get past their increasingly awkward, teenage socialization. They'd been thrown together on the assignment to keep Harry safe from Sirius Black. Ten months later, they'd come out of that mess with long overdue admissions to one another and a little boy they both loved and would have done anything for. It was more than she could have ever asked for, more than she ever expected, and possibly even more than she deserved.

Only a few months after Harry had come to live with them permanently at Remus' home in Kent, Remus had asked her to marry him. She'd been surprised, to say the least. Not only had because they'd been an official couple less than four months, but Remus had been the one to insist they take things slower than they had been doing. She'd been accepting of this, especially when she realized Remus had needed time to understand that she wanted to be with him and that she wanted more, when he was ready.

But he had proposed.

And she'd said yes.

They were married in the fall, in the backyard of Remus' family home, with only their closest friends in attendance. Albus Dumbledore had officiated. Sirius had been the best man. Harry the ring bearer. Alastor Moody had been seated in the front row beside Molly and Arthur Weasley, while the Weasley children sat behind them. When Harry had joined them, he, Ron, Fred, and George had spent the rest of the ceremony fidgeting impatiently while they eyed the buffet of food that awaited them. Sirius had happily helped the boys demolish most of the food during the reception, after which Remus and Emmeline had gone on a week-long honeymoon in Italy, a wedding gift from Sirius.

_Speaking of Sirius..._

Emmeline, Remus, and Harry turned simultaneously towards the front hallway as the door opened and the man himself entered as loudly as he always did.

"Sirius!" Harry said loudly in greeting to his godfather. "I didn't think you were going to make it!"

"What," Sirius replied, grinning widely, ruffling Harry's hair before stealing the boy's bacon, "and miss my godson's first trip on the Hogwarts Express? I think not!"

"Right, because we all know you had no intentions of sneaking a box of pranking supplies into his trunk," Remus said dryly, his lips twitching.

Sirius snorted, accepting the plate of breakfast Emmeline passed him with a wink. "You're going to tell me you planned on sending him off to Hogwarts without anything to make Snivelly's life hell? What kind of Marauder are you?"

"Language," Emmeline chided, rolling her eyes as Harry laughed. "As though he needs any encouragement from either of you to cause trouble." She made herself a plate and sat beside Remus. "And really, Harry, you probably shouldn't feed bacon to a turtle."

All the adults looked over to see Harry indeed feeding a piece of bacon to his pet turtle Bruce, who munched on the meat happily. "Why?" Harry asked, grinning. "He likes it."

Emmeline sent a half-pleading look to Remus, who just chuckled into his coffee and went on with his breakfast. "Horrible influences," she muttered, "the both of you."

Sirius spread his arms wide and shrugged. "What else are godfathers for?" he asked lightly.

Once again rolling her eyes, Emmeline gave up for the moment, sat back in her chair, and listened as the three wizards discussed a variety of subjects, mostly revolving around Hogwarts. Her eyes settled on Sirius, marveling on how he'd managed to recover from his time in Azkaban with whatever was left of his sanity intact. It hadn't been easy; in fact, there had been times when Remus and Emmeline had wanted to wrap their fingers around Sirius' throat and choke him to within an inch of his life. Other times, they'd wanted to pull out their own hair. Sirius had spent months hovering between depression and anger and bitterness. Remus tended to be the target for Sirius' anger—once or twice, Emmeline had had to take one or both of them to St. Mungo's because she'd been unable to reverse the jinxes they'd used on one another when their arguments had come to blows. There had been months of nightmares, though Sirius had refused to admit this was the reason that he decided to spend the night on Remus' sofa. It had taken the realization that Sirius was beating himself up over the deaths of Lily and James, for not trusting Remus like he should have, for Remus to finally work towards getting past his pent up anger at Sirius.

On the first Halloween following Sirius being declared innocent by the Ministry, he and Remus had spent several hours sitting in front of the fireplace with a few bottles of Firewhiskey, pouring through everything that had happened before the night Voldemort had paid that fateful visit to the Potters. Emmeline had known that at some point Remus and Sirius would deal with their issues and get back to trusting each other again, even if she had been starting to doubt herself. After that talk, Emmeline found being in a room with the two wizards wasn't nearly as taxing as it had been in the past.

Harry had probably had quite a bit of influence on Sirius' eventual recovery. The boy and his godfather had gotten along beautifully, spending more time than what was probably necessary playing pranks on Remus whenever the opportunity presented itself. Sirius still maintained Harry was best off being raised by Remus and Emmeline; Sirius seemed to much prefer spending days with Harry, sugaring him to the gills, then leaving his friends to deal with the over-energetic boy, bouncing off the walls. More than once, Emmeline had gone to Sirius' flat to curse him for this behavior, which never seemed to dissuade him from repeating it a week or two later.

A hand being waved in front of her face startled her from her musings. She blinked rapidly and met Remus' eyes. "All right, there?" he asked quietly. "You seemed to zone out for a bit."

Emmeline smiled and nodded at her husband. "Yeah, fine," she assured him. Sirius and Harry had disappeared from the kitchen, probably to finish getting Harry's things together for school. "Just thinking."

He nodded slowly, his brow furrowed slightly as he gathered the breakfast dishes to do the washing up. "Well, there will be plenty of time for thinking in a few hours. Nine months, actually. So what say we spend the last few hours we have with Harry making sure he doesn't get expelled on his first night at Hogwarts because of something Sirius tells him to do?"

Emmeline laughed. "Good point," she said. "I'll go get—"

A burst of laughter followed almost immediately by a yelp of pain from down the hall interrupted her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her husband slowly close his eyes and sigh deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to know," he muttered into his hand.

"Wimp," she told him, grinning. She followed the familiar laughs into the third bedroom of the cottage, finding Harry on the floor, leaning against a small bed. In his lap was a little girl of about three with light brown hair and blue eyes. Both of them were laughing at their godfather's attempts to free himself from Bruce the turtle, who for some reason had firmly attached himself to Sirius' right ear.

"Do I even want to ask?" she said flatly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sirius wanted to see if Bruce could fly," Harry told her through his snickering. "So he put Bruce on one of the blades of the ceiling fan. Before he was able to turn it on, though, Bruce jumped down and bit his ear."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow at Sirius, who couldn't seem to decide the best way to remove the turtle was. "So you deserved it," she told the wizard. The little girl got off Harry's lap and crossed the room, raising her arms to be picked up. Emmeline obliged, kissing the girl on the forehead. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Mummy," the girl said, resting her head on Emmeline's shoulder.

"Harry, help your godfather while I get Anna some breakfast, will you?" Emmeline said. "We need to leave soon." She and Anna made it halfway back to the kitchen before Emmeline turned around and returned to the little girl's room. "Oh and Sirius, do please try not to bleed all over my daughter's bedroom."

Sirius response was a glare that promised retribution. It was gone a split-second later as Harry yanked on Bruce, pulling him away from Sirius' ear, and was replaced by a look of excruciating pain.

* * *

Remus walked briskly between his wife and best friend, all three of them slightly behind the eager eleven-year-old pushing his trolley through King's Cross Station towards Platform 9 ¾. In his arms, he held his pouting daughter, who had once again thrown a fit before leaving for the train station because she wouldn't be allowed to attend Hogwarts with the boy she considered her big brother. He knew once the train and Harry had departed, Anna would perk right back up, but for the moment, both she and Remus were content just as they were.

Like Emmeline, he'd been doing quite a bit of musing that morning. Most of his had dwelled on his incredible luck over the last six or so years. Before their stint in London with Harry, Remus had all but given up on himself ever getting up the nerve to really do something about Emmeline and his feelings for her. Less than a year after finally admitting everything to her, they were married. And only a few short years later, she was giving birth to their first child. They hadn't been in a hurry to have children of their own; they agreed they both wanted them, when the time was right. Harry was a handful at the best of times, and Sirius... Well, there were times Remus felt as though Harry was the older of the two of them...

Then Emmeline had come home early from work one day and calmly asked Harry to take his toys to his bedroom for a few minutes, then proceeded to tell Remus she was pregnant. Several of the minutes following this declaration were nothing more than a hazy blur in Remus' mind. Emmeline later claimed this was due to his fainting; Remus flatly denied any such thing, particularly in Sirius' company. But the facts remained: Remus and Emmeline were going to have a baby. On the outside, Remus was absolutely thrilled at the prospect, and he happily partook in the planning and preparations for their child. On the inside, however, he was positively and undeniably terrified. He knew, had known all his life, that there was no chance of affecting a child of his own with lycanthropy through genetics since he himself had been infected by a bite. But the fear still overtook him, and had a terrible tendency to evolve into worse thoughts—what would happen if the baby turned out to be a werewolf in the womb? How would that affect Emmeline, particularly on full moon nights? His own full moon nights, generally spent in his basement with Sirius, while Emmeline and Harry went to Sirius' flat in London for the night, were spent pacing the room, his worries across the country with his wife. Every morning, Sirius made him breakfast and tried to convince him the baby and Emmeline would be fine, and all he was doing was creating trouble for himself.

After about seven of these full moon nights, Anna Elizabeth Lupin was born, and Remus immediately forgot what life had been like before he'd held her for the first time. Harry, it turned out, was an amazing older brother. He wasn't that big a fan of the baby when she was screaming or when her nappy needed changing, but any other time, he loved playing with the little girl, and when she got older, he hadn't hesitated to teach her all the things that tended to get him into the most trouble with Remus and Emmeline.

Harry himself had grown up wonderfully. Remus often wondered how the boy would have turned out if he'd stayed with his relatives, but quickly reminded himself it didn't matter. Harry hadn't stayed with his relatives. He'd gone to people that were closest as a mother and father that he'd ever known, people who treated him like he was their own child. He had Sirius who helped Remus teach him all the things James had wanted him to know—Quidditch, pranks, and eventually about girls. He had his best friend Ron Weasley and Ron's siblings and parents, who treated him like one of the family.

And most importantly, he knew the truth about his mother and father. He knew how much Lily and James had loved him, that they'd died for him. Harry may not have fully understood _why_ Voldemort had gone after him and his parents, and probably wouldn't for a long time to come, but when that time came, Harry would know there were people who would do everything possible to help him understand what it all meant.

A barking laugh jolted him from his thoughts and Remus realized belatedly they'd reached the barrier between the Muggle world and the wizarding world. Harry was eyeing the stone pillar skeptically while Sirius told him the story about James' first time through said barrier. Remus smiled at the memory of their eleven-year-old friend, who they first met when he'd stumbled into their compartment on the train. Apparently after his running start, he'd had a bit too much momentum and had run himself and his trolley into another stone pillar. His mother had repaired his glasses while his father recovered his owl and trunk. The bruising hadn't gone away for nearly a week.

"But as long as you slow yourself down once you feel that little bit of breeze when you pass through the barrier, you'll be fine," Sirius told his godson dismissively.

Harry's eyes had widened comically as he undoubtedly imagined what his father had looked like on his first day at Hogwarts.

"You're not helping, Sirius," Emmeline said exasperatedly. "Harry, you'll be just fine. If you don't want to run, don't. Just walk straight through."

Harry's anxiety ebbed at Emmeline's words, knowing she'd never lead him astray the way his godfather might try sometimes. Anna lifted her head from Remus' shoulder and looked on as Harry stood up straight, squared his shoulders, and placed a look of determination on his face. Adjusting the grip on the trolley, Harry walked briskly towards the barrier—Remus desperately hoped the boy didn't trip—and a second later, he'd disappeared.

"He did it!" Anna exclaimed happily, startling passing Muggles.

"Shh," Remus said to her, grinning widely and winking at Emmeline.

One after another, the adults and Anna passed through the barrier without attracting attention from those around them and met up with Harry in front of the Hogwarts Express.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Sirius said to the boy, clapping him on the back. Harry nodded a bit dazedly. "Come on, the Weasleys should be here soon."

The group passed a family of three, including a bushy-haired girl who was staring around her in wonder, rattling off factoids about the school train to her parents, both of whom looked utterly overwhelmed by their surroundings. Remus smiled at the girl—Muggleborn, he guessed—and her parents as they passed and was rewarded with nervous smiles in return.

"Harry, we'll get your trunk loaded while we wait for the Weasleys," Remus said, handing off Anna to Emmeline and leading Harry and Sirius to the train. As they finished, the bushy-haired girl and her father approached, introducing the girl as Hermione Granger.

"Pleased to meet you, Hermione," Remus said, smiling while Sirius kicked Harry gently in the back of the leg to remind him of his manners. The boy had been looking past the other families, searching the platform for Ron. "This is Harry, it's his first time at Hogwarts as well."

Harry smiled and waved, and Hermione began talking to him in rapid succession about things she'd learned about the magical world since receiving her Hogwarts letter a few months back. Sirius introduced himself to Hermione's father and tried to reassure the man that his daughter would be just fine at Hogwarts. Remus returned to Emmeline, who was looking on in amusement.

"You're really going to leave Harry alone with her?" Emmeline teased. "He looks terrified."

Remus shrugged, glancing back at Harry. The boy seemed to be trying to back away as surreptitiously as he could, which only resulted in running himself into the train. "It'll be good for him," he told his wife, putting an arm around her shoulders. "With a friend like her, Harry and Ron won't have time to get into any trouble; Harry's smart enough to know you have to keep quiet when trying to sneak around, and she doesn't seem to have an off switch."

"You're horrible," Emmeline chuckled.

"You noticed. How sweet."

Further conversation was deterred by Anna's cry of "Ginny!" The Lupins turned to find the Weasleys had just arrived. Fred and George (though even after all this time, Remus couldn't tell who was who) were in the lead, pushing their trolleys towards the train. Percy was just behind them, a shiny new prefect badge prominent on his puffed out chest. Ron was next and was rolling his eyes as his mother tried to wipe a smudge of dirt off his nose. Emmeline set Anna down on her feet and the little girl made a beeline for Ginny, who grinned and kneeled down for the hug she knew was coming.

"Morning, Molly," Remus called as the Weasleys approached them. "No Arthur today?"

Molly smiled. "No, he was called into work early for some sort of emergency involving a toaster that burns obscenities into the bread, so I was left to get this lot ready to go," she said, hugging Emmeline hello. The pair of them got into discussion about their mornings and Remus drifted away, back towards Sirius, who was now helping the Weasley boys load their trunks into the train. He looked around for Harry, finding the boy had introduced Ron to Hermione and was now smirking as he watched Ron's eyebrows inch higher and higher on his forehead in response to Hermione's chatter.

It wasn't until the conductor called that the train would be leaving in ten minutes time that Harry broke away from his friends and headed back towards Sirius, Remus, and Emmeline. Predictably, Emmeline ran through a list of things to ask whether Harry had packed; Harry dutifully answered, managing not to roll his eyes once. Once she'd finished, she pulled Harry in for a hug and kiss, leaving the boy blushing and Emmeline rather misty-eyed.

Sirius was next for goodbyes. Remus pretended to ignore the rundown of pranks the other wizard had taught Harry to pull while away at school, along with all the best places to hide from teachers, and a few shortcuts out of the castle, should Harry get bored. Their hug was brief, and Sirius seemed to make it a point to ruffle the hair Emmeline had so carefully smoothed into place before they'd left for the train station. Sirius then turned away and Remus pretended not to notice his friend dabbing at his eyes with his robe sleeve.

Finally, Harry stood in front of Remus. It seemed amazing that six years had flown by the way they had. He still remembered as though it was yesterday crouching in the bushes near a playground in Surrey beside Mad-Eye Moody, waiting for the children and parents to clear off so they could essentially kidnap the boy and take him to London. During those first few days, when Harry was just learning about Remus and Emmeline and the wizarding world, it had seemed unlikely that there was another side of Harry besides the shy little boy who was terrified of asking questions. It hadn't taken but a few weeks for Harry to realize he was more than welcome with them and that he was loved, whether he'd just met these people or not. That shy boy had all but vanished as time had gone on, replaced by the hyper, inquisitive boy he was now. Remus couldn't have been happier about how well Harry had grown up. He just couldn't believe it was already time to send him off to Hogwarts for nine months.

"I won't bother saying behave," Remus told Harry quietly, his eyes darting to Sirius, "since I know you have no intention of doing so."

Harry smirked. "How about I just don't get caught?" he suggested cheekily.

Remus laughed. "That I could handle," he conceded, pulling Harry in for a hug. "Take care of yourself. Write often so Emmeline doesn't worry." At this, his wife raised an eyebrow, questioning whether she was the one Harry should concern himself about worrying for him, or Remus. He ignored the look. "And we'll see you at Christmas."

Harry smiled, looking around them a little apprehensively. "Sure you won't tell me how we're Sorted?" he asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

Remus snorted a laugh. "Not a chance," he retorted. "Nice try, though."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled. "Just don't let Anna feed Bruce. She always gives him too much."

"We will keep Anna away from Bruce's food," Remus promised. "Now go, before the train leaves without you..."

Harry grinned, gave Emmeline one last hug, then one to Anna to keep her from crying, and jogged over to train, accepting one of the twins' hands up to help him into the compartment. Remus glanced over at Emmeline and smiled at her; she returned it, albeit a little watery and stepped closer so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder again.

"It's all right, Anna!" Harry called from the train, sticking his head out the window. Remus looked around for his daughter, locating her atop Sirius' shoulders, her face stained with tears as she waved back at Harry. "Fred and George say they'll send you and Ginny Hogwarts toilet seats!"

The platform as a whole laughed and minutes later the train had disappeared in a fog of steam.

"Well," Sirius said cheerily as the other families started to Disapparate home, "that's him out of our hair."

Emmeline rolled her eyes and slapped him in the shoulder. "Careful or you'll be next, Black," she muttered threateningly.

"What, going to send me off to Hogwarts?" Sirius retorted. "Fine by me! I'll help Harry make sure Snivelly's bald by Halloween."

While Emmeline and Sirius argued companionably, Remus chuckled and removed his daughter from his friend's shoulders, then led the way back to the Muggle world.

All in all, Remus mused as Anna rested her cheek against his shoulder. He glanced back at his wife and best friend, who were now laughing at some joke. Life may not have been quite as kind to them as he would have liked, but everything had turned much better than he could have hoped. He didn't know what the future held for himself or his family, but for once in his life, he cared only about the present.

And life had never looked better.

**The End**

* * *

**AN:** So it's been around five years since I originally started this story. For those of you who've stuck with me throughout my very frustrating update schedule, I thank you oh so very much. I hope you've enjoyed the story as much as I have I merely ask one more very slight favor: please review once more, for my sake. Authors are needy creatures; we need assurance that we're still loved on a very regular basis! Thanks!


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